Welcome Hall Mission Montreal says it is concerned about the ongoing postal strike, which could impact the amount of donations it receives.
Every day he offers food and groceries to hundreds of city residents. While the annual Thanksgiving dinner it hosts annually for the homeless was not disrupted by the strike, the organization's president and CEO said he was concerned it could hurt their progress moving forward.
“This is a brief moment of joy for those whose lives have been shattered,” Samuel Watts said of the organization's turkey dinner Monday night.
The organization is currently asking for donations to be made through its website or by phone until the postal strike ends.
The organization relies on postal carriers for monetary donations, which it uses to organize events such as Thanksgiving meals and Christmas gatherings, which it also hosts each winter for families in need.
“I'm confident we'll have fewer donations this year than last year just because of the unexpected postal strike,” Watts said.
Get the latest national news
To stay on top of news affecting Canada and the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you as they happen.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has been on strike since September 25 after the federal government announced changes to Canada Post's business model that the union says will lead to job cuts.
Mail delivery was completely suspended due to the strike. But as of Saturday, the union has instead committed to rotating strikes, allowing mail and parcel delivery to resume, albeit on a limited basis.
Although the number of online donations the Welcome Hall Mission receives has increased in recent years, Watts estimates that 40 to 50 percent of their monetary donations are still sent by mail.
“That's $12 million to $15 million in donations a year,” he said.
He estimates that last year's postal strike just before Christmas cost the organization about $1 million in donations.
Watts said the ongoing strike is also making it difficult for the Welcome Hall mission to communicate with those who prefer to donate by mail.
“The vast majority of donors are people over 60 years of age, and while many of them are very familiar with the Internet and social media, there is also a large percentage of people who avoid anything related to social media and online giving because they tend to think it is unsafe,” Watts said.
Canada Post made its latest offer to striking workers on October 3. The union described it as “a blatant attack on the public service”.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
