Canada Post informed national postal operators (NPOs) worldwide of a state of emergency in British Columbia due to the flooding, rockslides, and mudslides in that province.
The alert, posted on the Universal Postal Union’s Emergency Information System, says, “Multiple road closures and damaged railway lines and bridges are affecting ground transportation and delivery operations across western Canada, and both inbound and outbound letter-post and parcel-post flows are suffering disruption. Canada Post has therefore declared a situation of force majeure. However, it asks designated operators to continue dispatching mails to Canada as normal. Updates can be found at canadapost.ca/servicealerts.”
We expect Canada Post Corporation (CPC) to shutdown its international office of exchange (IEO) and one of its three domestic operations hubs in Toronto this week due to COVID-19 pandemic impact on the workforce.
Message n° 36/2021
26 January 2021 / 26 janvier 2021 à 13h32( CET)
Further to EmIS 638/2020, the designated operator of Canada, Canada Post, asks us to inform other Union member countries and their designated operators that a number of cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in one of the three shifts at its Gateway East processing plant in the Greater Toronto Area.
Following guidance by the regional health authority, Canada Post has temporarily closed this shift to prevent further spread of the virus. The Toronto exchange office, located in a separate area of the Gateway plant, continues to operate, albeit with a reduced workforce. Given this situation, disruption to normal operations and reduced processing capacity and clearance within customs operations are to be expected.
As further staff shortages are expected during this time, in addition to measures to protect the health and safety of workers, member countries can expect delays in the processing and delivery of both inbound and outbound mail items.
Canada Post is evaluating and adapting existing contingency plans to keep postal items flowing with minimal delay, triaging where appropriate, and will keep member countries updated via EmIS as this situation evolves. Unless designated operators are specifically requested to dispatch to the Montreal or Vancouver offices of exchange, Canada Post requests that dispatches not be diverted or rerouted.
Canada Post has operated with safety protocols in place following the guidance of public health officials since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and will continue to follow their expert guidance and recommendations.
Canada Post thanks all Union member countries and their designated operators for their understanding during this very difficult time.
