Tens of thousands of passports are stuck as the Canada Post strike nears the one-month mark, but the federal government is advising there is a solution for people who need them now.
In a statement to Global News, Employment and Social Development Canada says as of Dec. 1, approximately 185,000 passports are being held by Service Canada until the strike is resolved and the documents can be mailed out, an increase from about 85,000 being held as of Nov. 19.
A spokesperson said in an email that Service Canada put a temporary hold on mailing out passports after Nov. 8, days ahead of the expected work stoppage, to reduce the “risk of having any passports held in Canada Post distribution centres.”
The passports will be mailed out once the strike ends and regular mail service resumes, but as Canada Post suggested Monday that there may not be a quick resolution to the strike, there are ways to get documents faster.
According to Employment and Social Development Canada, those whose passports are currently being held can request their passport be transferred to one of the 60 Service Canada locations that offer pick-up.
If you’re planning to apply for a new passport or renew yours, there are some options with one being to pick it up.
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In this situation, it’s advised to apply in person and then pay for pick-up.
But if that isn’t your preference, you can also call Service Canada to request a file transfer for free if the processing time for an application falls outside its service standard, or pay $45 or $20 for standard pick-up service if within said standard.
According to the department, the service standard is 10 business days if submitted in person at a passport office or Service Canada centre that offers 10-day processing. If submitted by mail or at a regular Service Canada centre or scheduled outreach site offering services, the standard is 20 days, with mailing time not included in either case.
Alternatively, if you apply in person you can also pay to pick it up at a Service Canada centre that offers it.
Standards for urgent or express service differ with urgent pickup set for end of the next business day or two to nine days for express.
Those travelling in the next six weeks are urged to apply for a passport as early as possible in person at a centre that offers 10-business-day service to avoid delays.
If travelling in more than six weeks, people are encouraged to visit a centre that offers 20-business-day service or scheduled outreach site to submit their application.
Of note, a flood at Canada Place in Edmonton has left the main passport office in that city closed since last week. All Albertans needing urgent passport services are being forced to drive to the Service Canada office in Calgary.
On Monday, Canada Post said that the latest offers from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) take “major step backwards,” adding a quick resolution was unlikely.
The union said that same day that it had presented new offers for both its urban and rural workers, which included job protections and wage gains. However, the CUPW’s latest proposal is lower than its previous wage demands, asking for wage increases of a total of 19 per cent, down from the earlier offer of 22 per cent or a compounded 24 per cent.
One of the key issues in bargaining has been a potential expansion into weekend deliveries, with each side at odds on how to staff such a change.
Canada Post says it plans to staff weekends with a mix of new permanent part-time positions and some full-time, while the union accuses the Crown corporation of trying ot increase its reliance on part-time workers.
Despite calls for the federal government to intervene, Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon’s office said in a statement to Global News it was urging parties to return to the negotiating table, with no signs it would intervene.
—with files from Global News’ Anne Gaviola and The Canadian Press
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
