Community newspapers collateral damage of Canada Post dispute

Manitoba community newspapers say they’re caught in the crossfire of the Canada Post labour dispute because their papers are being treated like flyers or junk mail that are no longer being delivered.

“To classify us in that way really is an insult,” said Selkirk Record co-owner Brett Mitchell, who expects to be delivering papers himself 24-7 until Thursday. “We’re essential. If we’re not here recording history and telling important stories, no one else is.”

On Monday, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers replaced its ban on overtime, which was in place since mid-May, by stopping the delivery of commercial flyers, including newspapers, as it seeks to get Canada Post back to the bargaining table.

Community newspapers across Canada are calling on CUPW and Canada Post to ensure their processing and delivery resume immediately, arguing the publications are not junk mail, but provide a vital source of information to their readers.

“Community and ethnic newspapers keep Canadians informed, engaged, and connected in hundreds of communities across Canada,” News Media Canada CEO Paul Deegan said in a letter Tuesday to union president Jan Simpson and Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger.

“Many are small businesses, owned by local entrepreneurs, who are struggling just to keep the lights on and make payroll in the face of the loss of advertising to American Big Tech companies,” says the letter.

Mitchell, who co-owns six Manitoba weeklies in the Interlake and Pembina Valley, recalled delivering weekly newspapers in the dead of winter for four weeks during the Canada Post strike last year.

“What are you going to do? You’ve got to get these things out,” said Mitchell. He figures 8,000 of their 70,000 papers were sent through Canada Post.

“We don’t need any more kicks in the pants,” added Mark Buss, president of the Manitoba Community Newspapers Association that has 30 member newspapers with a circulation of 368,000.

In January 2024, Canada Post changed community newspaper distribution under its “consumers’ choice” policy, allowing users to request a stop to receiving unaddressed advertising mail — such as flyers, menus, coupons and catalogues, Buss said.

Community newspapers, mailings from governments, band offices and materials related to elections were deemed necessary and exempt.

As of Monday, community newspapers that have flyers or inserts have been reclassified as junk mail, said Buss, who is editor and part owner of Clipper Publishing Corp, that serves Beausejour and Lac du Bonnet.

“What we need is for the federal government to change our classification back to the consumer’s choice program,” said Mitchell. “This separates us from unaddressed ad mail so everyone gets a paper.”

CUPW didn’t respond to a request for comment.

In a statement, Canada Post spokesman Phil Legault said the corporation understands the “significant impact” of the union’s move.

“Regrettably, the union’s decision will impact the thousands of Canadian businesses that use this service as well as CUPW-represented employees who are paid to deliver flyers on top of their wages.”

Canada Post said it wants to return to the bargaining table “with workable solutions that reflect the company’s reality — instead of proposals that would increase the corporation’s costs.”

On Aug. 1, CUPW members rejected Canada Post’s latest contract offer. Three weeks later, the union gave the corporation its global offers, but CUPW said it had been given an ultimatum to change its submission. Meantime, Canada Post said the offers added significant costs to the corporation. The two sides didn’t budge when they returned to bargaining Aug. 27. The dispute has dragged on for 21 months.

A member of the Manitoba government’s all-party committee that’s reviewing ways to support local journalism said the decision to treat community newspapers as flyers and stop delivering them highlights the need to support them.

“I think CUPW forgets newspapers are the livelihood of people and there’s lot of employees in newspapers,” said Tory MLA Greg Nesbitt, previously owned papers in Manitoba.

“To put them in the same category as flyers makes no sense to me. Not delivering flyers is one thing, to make a statement, but when you get down to community newspapers that are basically delivering news, I think they should rethink their decision to do that.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca