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TEXT ‘ABFIRES’ to 45678 Telling to donate $10 to Red Story Cross for Jasper wildfire relief YOUR Volume 117 Issue 22
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Wednesday, November 27, 2024 s
A Squabble at the Feeder JOE HARTUNG PHOTO
When the snow started flying on Saturday, the squabbles started at the feeders, with these two Blue Jays going at it while the dove minds its own business. Over the weekend accumulation as high as 20cm was recorded in East Central Alberta on Saturday, causing more than a few event cancellations.
Canada Post blames union for lack of progress Leslie Cholowsky Editor
Canada Post made a statement on Sunday, Nov. 24 saying limited progress had been made on talks in the current Canada Post strike. “We’ve been trying to move forward with urgency on changes to our delivery model that would provide weekend delivery and more flexible staffing during the week. “The union has been focused for the last 24 hours on workers they don’t represent – like hiring away the cleaning staff from our contracted cleaning service and making them full-time Canada Post employees and pushing back on any changes to the pay and benefits of people we’ll hire in the future.” Canada Post posted again late Tuesday that talks had “ground to a halt with no movement.” They said Tuesday, “After not responding over
the past several days, CUPW has just informed us, through the special mediator, that it will not be responding at all.” It’s not clear whether that’s to all topics, or just responses to proposals put forward by Canada Post for future operations. Canada Post posted a $315 million loss before tax in the third quarter of 2024, and says it has put forward proposals to offer seven-day-a-week parcel delivery along with other issues, saying, “This new delivery model is essential for the future of the company, and critical to our ability to afford the offers.” Canada Post says, “CUPW’s national strike is now in day 10 and the impacts on the company and the country are mounting. With the postal system effectively shut down by the strike for a week and a half, we are down millions of parcels and entering the busy Black Friday online
shopping week effectively shut pendent Business called on the federal government Friday to step in and down. “Beyond the impact on Canada end the strike, saying it has really Post, the ripple effects of the national started to impact small and mediumstrike across the country are having a sized businesses. CUPW issued a statement on Monmajor impact on small businesses, day, claiming Canada Post has been charities and remote communities.” On Friday, CUPW said, “Canada calling members to lay them off in post is a public service, not a profit- several regions across the country, redriven corporation, even though it ferring to it as a “scare tactic.” “While some are saying it is tempooperated profitably for many years.” While Canada Post says labour rary, we’ve heard stories that it may costs increased by $242 million in be more permanent,” the statement 2023, CUPW said Friday that overall read in part. CUPW also says that Canada Post labour costs have decreased during has misrepresented weekend talks the last few years. The postal strike entered its 11th concerning cleaning staff, but did not day on Monday, with no end in sight provide any further detail. The latest word from Federal as the two sides made ‘limited progress’ over weekend negotiations. Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon We will reopen Tuesday, Aug. 6 at Based on last year’s data, Canada last week indicated that the govern9 a.m. and our next edition ment “only has one strategy with Post estimated that it would have dewill still be published Wedneday. Aug. 7 livered 10 million parcels during the Canada Post, and that is intensive Ad deadlines will beand noon 6 the mediation weTuesday, hope to Aug. bridge strike period. The Canadian Federation of Inde- gap between the parties.”
The Community Press office will be CLOSED Monday, August 5 for the Civic Holiday.