Striking postal workers promise to get kids’ letters to Santa delivered in time

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This article was published 28/11/2024 (317 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Yes, Virginia, there is a way to get your letter to Santa Claus — even during a postal strike.

Postal workers, who’ve been off the job for two weeks across the country, are determined to ensure their labour dispute with Canada Post doesn’t stop kids’ hope-filled messages from getting through to Santa.

Reggie Taman, health and safety officer for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Winnipeg Local 856, said brightly decorated drop boxes are stationed near three picket lines in Winnipeg, and there are four others in communities outside the city.

“We don’t want the kids not to get their letters to Santa,” Taman said Thursday.

“We need to help them reach out to the big guy. For over 40 years we have delivered the letters to Santa and we won’t stop now. Postal workers love their jobs delivering and that’s what they’ll do.”

Taman said after children drop off letters to Santa, picketing workers will take them “to the North Pole,” where they will be read and a reply will be written.

He said the postal workers will get those replies back into the mailboxes of children as long as a return address and phone number accompanies their letters.

“Of course it is Santa who reads the letters,” Taman said with a laugh. “And, of course, he will be looking at getting the responses back to the kids. We don’t want adult disputes to get in the way of this. We still want Christmas to be special for the kids.”

The letters can be delivered

• 24-7 to the picket line outside the Canada Post mail processing plant at 1870 Wellington Ave.,
• or outside the Canada Post location at the old St. Boniface Post Office at 208 Provencher Blvd.,
• or the Canada Post distribution depot at 1199 Nairn Ave., from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Outside the city, striking postal workers will accept the letters

• at the Dugald post office (7 a.m.-11 p.m.),
• Selkirk post office (8 a.m.-2 p.m.),
• Steinbach post office (8 a.m.-2 p.m.)
• and the Morden post office (9 a.m.-1 p.m.).

Letters to Santa Claus should not be dropped into red Canada Post mailboxes, the union said.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca