INNISFIL - It's a question that's becoming more pertinent the longer the Canada Post strike goes — will a lack of mail delivery hamper correspondence between Santa Claus and kids this holiday season?
While postal workers and the government agency continue to struggle to reach a new collective agreement, grinding mail delivery to a halt for more than three weeks, this job action has also affected one of Canada Post’s most popular initiatives — the Santa letter program delivered responses to 1.4 million messages from around the world last year.
“Canada Post usually starts to receive letters for Santa in mid to late November, as we move closer to the holidays,” Canada Post spokesperson Phil Rogers said. “As you know, (Canadian Union of Postal Workers) has shut down the postal service with a national strike, and as a result, we are unable to get mail to and from Santa in the North Pole. It is our hope that postal operations can resume as quickly as possible at this critical time for customers. When operations do resume, we will help Santa by delivering a response to every letter sent to him this year.”
Canada Post has assisted Santa with mail for more than 40 years, handling between 1.2 million and 1.5 million letters annually.
“It's a big effort and a great source of pride for everyone at Canada Post,” Rogers said. “Since our national program began, Santa's North Pole post office has delivered replies for more than 45 million letters.”
Luckily for parents in limbo, there are local alternatives.
Just Simcoe, an online marketplace and delivery service that allows customers to purchase and explore thousands of products from hundreds of area businesses, recently announced a partnership to ensure the “magic of the holiday season remains alive for children in Simcoe County.”
Children can send and receive letters to the Jolly Old Elf using North Pole Express mailboxes located at Chelsea Chocolates, Kennedy’s Lakeside Grocery, Ripe Juicery, Homestead Artisan Bakery + Cafe, Printing House and Blueberry Moon in Barrie, Halliday House in Cookstown, Tiny Art Shack in Elmvale, and the Sweet Oven locations in Barrie and Orillia.
“These festive mailboxes will serve as a direct line to the North Pole with replies delivered to ensure every child feels the joy and wonder of the season,” Just Simcoe said in a statement.
The company has noted a “surge” in business since the start of the labour dispute.
“The Canada Post strike has been a wake-up call for many, forcing them to explore new options,” Andrew de Jong, a Barrie resident and the company's founder, said recently. “We've had numerous local businesses lean on us during this time, and we’re proud to step up and help.”
What other options exist? Tanger Cookstown will welcome Santa Claus each day until Christmas Eve, so kids are able to have a chat with him directly — however, letters aren’t accepted there.
Meanwhile, Santa makes an appearance on weekends at Innisfil's 400 Market, where there's a writing station nearby for kids to pen their letters to the North Pole. General manager Scott Saunders does caution, however, that there’s no guarantee of a response by Dec. 25, so it might be best for parents to have a chat with Kris Kringle, jot down some notes, find a template and write a response on Santa’s behalf.
“Some families have created their own tradition where they do their own letter or gift box for their child, leaving it at the door just prior to Christmas,” Saunders said. “Canada Post kind of screwed us.”
The station at the 400 Market is near Santa and it includes a 1940s- or 1950s-era school chair with a light, and a tall, shiny red mailbox.
“We provide cards and letters with a self-addressed stamp to the North Pole,” he said. “We encourage people to get their children to fill out their name, address and phone number. Our staff collects them at the end of the weekend; we used to drop them off prior to the strike.”
The 400 Market also distributes free reindeer food — handing out about 4,800 containers last year.
“A lot of people go through our doors,” Saunders said.
Get a full list of addresses for businesses participating in the Just Simcoe initiative at justsimcoe.ca. More details on the 400 Market’s holiday program can be found on its Instagram page. You can also learn more about Tanger's Santa's Cookstown Cabin by visiting tanger.com.