Home Business & Economy Business & Economy Canada Post experiences continued delays with parcel deliveries during pandemic

Canada Post experiences continued delays with parcel deliveries during pandemic

All-time, one-day record on Tuesday May 19 with 2.1 million parcels delivered to Canadians.

Canada Post, mailbox
Canada Post is experiencing delays with parcel delivery due to COVID-19 processing overload. [West Shore Voice News]
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Tuesday May 26, 2020 ~ NATIONAL (OTTAWA) & LOCAL (SOUTH VANCOUVER ISLAND)

by Mary Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News

Today Canada Post says it is delivering parcels at record levels but that Canadians should anticipate parcel delays for the foreseeable future.

“As Canadians continue to ramp up and diversify their online shopping, Canada Post is responding to unprecedented parcel volumes while maintaining important physical distancing measures in all our facilities,” it was stated in today’s release.

woman at computer, shopping
Online shopping has increased during the self-isolation and physical distancing required during COVID-19. [web]

This is clearly another aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic catching systems that served an old way of doing things, and forcing rapid adaptation in order to cope (or survive, in the case of smaller businesses).

In the case of Canada Post, while a pandemic would not have been reasonably anticipated by anyone, the many years of increases in online shopping will have hopefully had many systems in place or ready for implementation to deal with increases.

In the broadest view, the consumer public in general has obviously just assumed that in shifting to working from home, to living in self-isolation, and stepping back from in-person mainstream economic activities that established systems would provide support. That includes government emergency benefits (which have overall been successfully deployed) and telecommunications (which have largely done a stellar job of dealing with tremendous surges in demand).

To be fair, Canadians have — for the most part — considered ‘snail mail’ (three-dimensional ground delivery) to be an anachronism used only in unusual situations where the Internet-based world cannot do the job, if at all. That applied more so to letter mail (and parcel delivery in support of online shopping has been steadily increasing for years), but still Canada Post has not been seen as integral to the daily lives of many Canadians for many years now.

delivery slot, outgoing mail
Delivery slot in a community mailbox, for outgoing mail. [West Shore Voice News]

That has suddenly changed. Even letter-mail deposit boxes are becoming quickly full on weekends, as people shift to sending application forms, cards and other special documents by postal mail instead of online.

In that context, Canada Post may have something of a victory on their hands in proving the truth of their necessity within the framework of how this country operates at various socioeconomic levels. So long as we live on a physical planet, people and businesses will always need to physically move things around. And while ordering anything online seems like ‘magic’, it ends up back in 3D reality for delivery.

Dealing with physical distancing impacts:

sorting parcels, Canada Post
Sorting parcels at Canada Post (pre-COVID photo).

“Processing record parcel volumes in plants that were never designed to keep people two metres apart takes more time,” it was stated by Canada Post today as one reason for the slowdown.

Record parcel volumes and bulky items:

Canada Post says it is delivering in record numbers and also handling a wider variety of items. With parcel deliveries growing at a record pace from April to May, Canada Post hit an all-time, one-day record on Tuesday May 19 with 2.1 million parcels delivered to Canadians.

barbecue, outdoors
Large outdoor barbecue is the type of item not normally delivered by Canada Post. [web]

Apparently that is about three times the norm for this time of year. And it’s also up from a previous record set on Monday April 20, when 1.8 million parcels were delivered to Canadians through Canada Post, similar to the biggest delivery days around Christmas.

“It’s not just the volumes that are causing challenges, the number of larger household items, like mini-fridges, patio furniture and barbecues coming through our network have also increased,” said Canada Post in their release today. “These bulky items often require a two-person lift which creates additional safety challenges and delays.”

Responding while maintaining safety:

Canada Post trucks
Canada Post trucks.

“We are taking steps to respond, while maintaining physical-distancing,” says Canada Post’s national media office, also explaining now processing and delivering on weekends and requiring additional support from trained temporary employees.

Where tracking of a parcel is important to the addressee, Canada Post says to note that “some parcels may be transferred to other Canada Post locations for processing based on capacity”. This will reduce delays, says Canada Post, and that customers tracking their items may notice their parcel is taking a different route than normal.

“We understand the importance of these items, especially at this time, and thank Canadians for their patience and understanding. Our employees are working hard to serve and we’ll continue to keep customers updated on our progress.”

Other basic changes advised to customers:

parcels at door
Canada Post does not require signature for parcels at the door during COVID-19 (due to physical distancing requirements).

Back in April, to make deliveries smoother and ensure everyone’s safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada Post made the following changes:

  • Door delivery is now being carried out under what Canada Post describes as a “Knock, Drop and Go” approach. That means no one needs to sign for a parcel and reduces the number of parcels routed back to the post office for pickup. 
  • For parcels that require pickup at a post office — meaning you need to show personal identification — the corporation has suspended the normal 15-day hold period, so if you’re feeling sick, stay home until you’ve come out of your 14-day quarantine period.

=== Links:

Canada Post updates: www.canadapost.ca and click on the banner at the top of the page.