Southeast Saskatchewan was given its first taste of winter when the area was treated to heavy snowfall and strong winds earlier this week. Despite the sudden plunge of the temperature, Estevan's postal workers were continuing to strike.
"I think it should just let them know how serious we are about getting a good contract. You know, we have to deal with this on an everyday basis in the winter anyways, anyone who's a letter carrier. It's really great to see the amount of people that we have show up in the morning and the afternoon. I would just hope that it would show Canada Post that we're very serious about getting a good contract."
Teri Nobiss has been a letter carrier in Estevan for 30 years, so she's used to being out in the cold. She joked that it was great to see her colleagues who usually work inside picket with her, as they're not used to being out in the cold for an extended amount of time.
55,000 postal workers throughout the country are still on strike. The postal stoppage has extended to its 7th day, as letters and packages sit in Canada Post warehouses unprocessed and undelivered.
"We just had someone here actually that was looking to [mail] their immigration papers and I guess the only people that can do it is Canada Post. We're just upset that, you know, we're unable to help them. It's kind of disappointing in a way because if we were there, we would have been able to help them right away," Nobiss added.
Postal Stoppage Impacting Estevan
- Local printing press facing significant impact due to postal strike
- Estevan resident voices frustration and hope amid ongoing Canada Post strike
- Local Canada Post workers join nationwide strike in Estevan
The support from the community hasn't wavered. As they were striking in front of the closed Canada Post outlet on 5th Street, many motorists and bystanders honked their horns and cheered the workers on - all in their pursuit of a better deal between the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and the Crown corporation.
"We actually had a girl named Haley that brought us some Smile Cookies just to kind of bring a little happiness to our picketing. We had a gentleman from Ontario actually, who stopped by and brought us some coffee. It just makes us feel a lot better to see that kind of support because, honestly, it's not fun being out here."
Negotiations are ongoing. Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton said in an interview with The Canadian Press that small progress is being made on the smaller issues that the union has brought up, but there's still a lot of ground to cover. No word yet as to how long the strike will go on and when it will be lifted.