‘Everything slows down’: Montreal chocolatier feels financial strain from Canada Post strike

A Montreal chocolatier says the Canada Post strike is disrupting deliveries and cutting into profits just as the busy holiday season begins.

A chocolatier in the neighbourhood of Little Burgundy says the ongoing Canada Post strike is leaving small businesses like his scrambling.

Damien André spends his days tempering chocolate and hand-packing boxes, but lately, he said, the work has become far more complicated.

“I’m trying to give my customers some Belgian vibes — simple flavours everyone can enjoy,” he said. “But it’s been extremely difficult with all the delivery delays. Packaging, raw material — everything that we need to finish a product takes longer to arrive.”

He opened ​Chocolaterie Damien André on Notre-Dame Street less than a year ago. André said the strike has slowed down both incoming shipments and outgoing orders — threatening to melt away his profits just as the busy holiday season approaches.

“It’s really disturbing all our operations,” he said. “I’m a chocolatier but now, I also have to act as an accountant to figure out how to handle the financial mess it’s causing.”

Postal disruption felt across Montreal

The strike began on Sept. 26 after the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) declared a nationwide walkout in response to government plans to overhaul the struggling Crown corporation.

That plan includes ending daily mail delivery, closing rural post offices, and moving most homes to community mailboxes.

CTV News reached out to Canada Post for comment but did not receive a response before publication.

Some Montrealers told CTV News the postal strike has created frustrations for them as well.

“I was lucky to get the things I needed before the strike began — I just got my Medicare card and driver’s licence,” said Isabelle Ouimet. “If not, I would’ve been stuck since that’s the only way these are sent out.”

While the strike hasn’t had a direct impact on Manon Dubreuil, she said some of her friends are growing anxious. “They’re expecting documents from immigration [services] and this disruption is having them stressed out,” she said. s down.”

Others, like LJ Aguinaga, said they haven’t noticed much difference — citing digital communication has softened the blow. “Anything important, I get an email about,” he said.

Holiday worries return

Last year’s labour dispute, André recalled, ruined his Christmas season. He worries this one could do the same.

“Last year, we couldn’t get products to customers in time,” he said. “This time, we’re preparing earlier — but that means buying everything in advance, from ingredients to packaging, which costs more. I’m having to take out loans and having a good accountant is crucial.”

The entrepreneur said the price of local packaging, which is made in Quebec, has remained stable. But cocoa — the key ingredient in everything he makes — has skyrocketed in the last year.

For instance, he said the price of a chocolate box from his store has gone up by about 20 per cent in the last year.

“We try to keep prices fair and accessible, but we’re at the end of the supply chain, so we don’t set the price,” explained André.

Despite that, he refuses to compromise on quality. “We’re a small artisan shop. We can’t deliver like Amazon — but we put all our heart and love into every package.”

Meanwhile, André believes small businesses like his shouldn’t bear the cost of a national dispute they can’t control.

“The governments were really helpful with supporting small companies during the COVID pandemic,” he said. “I think they should do something right now, with this strike.”

For now, he’s stocking up and staying hopeful that the gridlock will end soon — before the holiday rush melts away his profits.