Windsor-Essex business ‘in limbo’ after latest Canada Post strike

Culture Shock Bead Co., an Indigenous owned bead shop, is assessing its next steps after the latest Canada Post strike left the business unable to deliver products to customers. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor)

An abrupt move by postal workers to hit the picket lines across the country has businesses in Windsor-Essex scrambling to meet the needs of their customer base.

Canada Post workers walked off the job on Thursday evening in response to major reform introduced by the federal government just hours earlier.

At Culture Shock Bead Co., a craft beads shop that largely caters to Indigenous communities across the country, owner Kat Pasquatch was “blindsided” by the news.

“A real shocker because we are in the middle of a campaign ourselves where we just mailed out orders this week and now they’re all in limbo,” Pasquatch told CTV News.

Many of the communities she serves are located in rural areas where private couriers aren’t an option. On a weekly basis, Pasquach estimates her business sends about 20 packages through Canada Post.

Unsure of how many of her orders currently sit idle in a Canada Post warehouse, Pasquach hopes to reach out to customers about their missing orders in the coming days.

“I don’t really have a contingency necessarily lined up right this second,” Pasquatch explained.

The business is already under strain due to a lower U.S. customer base and higher costs associated with tariffs.

After taking a financial blow during the Canada Post Strike last fall, Pasquatch noted the latest job action interferes with their efforts to fundraise ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

“We were selling orange T-shirt kits and red dress kits to raise money for the events that are coming up. All of the packages that haven’t been shipped yet, we’re going to have to look at other options,” she told CTV News on Friday evening.

The business owner noted she’s supportive of the federal workers and their reason for striking.

As more private delivery companies pop up, she fears there will be less accountability compared to service from the Canadian Crown corporation.

“With Canada Post, you know, you get insurance on a package, your package goes missing or it’s significantly damaged, you get a refund, you don’t really have those options,” she added.

In the coming weeks, Culture Shock Bead Co. hopes to finalize plans to move forward with orders without implementing significantly higher costs.