Experts say the Canada Post strike may have pushed some customers away for good, leaving the cash-strapped Crown corporation in even worse shape and forcing a big shift in strategy.
Workers are set to return Tuesday after a month-long stoppage that prompted tens of thousands of businesses and individuals to turn to private carriers for delivery of their packages.
McMaster University business professor Marvin Ryder says many companies will likely return to Canada Post due to its low shipping rates, but that others who found alternative couriers may never come back.
Meanwhile, many organizations that hadn’t made the switch from paper to digital will now opt for online-only invoicing and communication, further draining Canada Post coffers of revenue from letter mail.
Carleton University business professor Ian Lee says an impending cash crunch could force the Crown corporation to revise its mandate of daily mail delivery and even expand into other areas such as banking or government services in a bid to boost profits.
Mail is poised to start moving again on Tuesday after Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon directed the federal labour board to order employees back to work if the tribunal determined a deal wasn’t reachable before year’s end.
