Federal Cheques Delay + Canada Post Rotating Strikes

Issue #381

Inside the New West Spotlight

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 🗓️ New West Events - Worth Checking Out!

 🗞️ New West Local News - Federal Cheques Delay + Canada Post Rotating Strikes

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Local New Westminster Weather

Historical Records for Today - Record high 16.0 2023 - Record low 0.0 2016

Check out all of our local New Westminster Events

October 11, 2025

🚶 HAW Community Walk  10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

🗣️ Spanish Conversation Drop-in  10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

🔍️ 2nd Annual River Market Scavenger Hunt  11:00 AM to 5:00 PM

🏘️ 1488 Salter Open House – 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

🎶 Live Music with Angie Faith at Flapper Lounge  5:00 PM to 8:00 PM

🏊️ Youth Swims at təməsew̓txʷ  8:00 PM to 10:00 PM

🕺 Saturday Dance Party at Georgie's  10:00 PM to 1:00 AM

🕹️ Fighting Game Night  Phantom Alley

October 12, 2025

🔍️ 2nd Annual River Market Scavenger Hunt  11:00 AM to 5:00 PM

🎸 Concert in the Square at Hyack Square  1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

🏘️ 1488 Salter Open House – 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

📿 World of Art Beading Workshop  2:00 PM & 4:00 PM

🧘 Yang Tai Chi 24 form  5:00 PM

🎙️ Georgie's Local Sunday Night Open Mic!  7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

🏈 Sunday and Monday Night Football  at the Terminal Pub

October 13, 2025

🧘 Peace, Be Still Monday Meditation – 10:30 AM to 11:15 AM

👶 Mom + Baby Meet Up at Cove Indoor Play – 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM

🔍️ 2nd Annual River Market Scavenger Hunt  11:00 AM to 5:00 PM

🧩 Puzzle Mondays at Steel and Oak  Starts at 5:00 PM

🏙️ Downtown's Living Room at Anvil Centre  5:30 PM to 8:00 PM

🎙️ Begbie's Open Mic  7:00 PM to 11:00 PM

📬 New West Residents: Here’s What You Need to Know About Possible Mail Delays

If a Canada Post labour disruption occurs, Service Canada says that benefit cheques will still be delivered — but mail across the country, including in New Westminster, may experience delays.

The following payments will continue to be mailed out even during a disruption:
Old Age Security (OAS)
Canada Pension Plan (CPP)
Canada Child Benefit (CCB)
Canadian Disability Benefit

All other federal cheques will be temporarily held until the postal service resumes.

That means some New Westminster residents who still receive their payments by mail could face longer wait times. To ensure you receive your benefits on time, Service Canada strongly recommends switching to direct deposit — it’s the most reliable way to keep your payments coming without interruption. 💳

It only takes a few minutes to sign up and provides peace of mind during postal delays.

Backlogs and Uncertainty Persist

Mail delivery is set to restart on a limited basis as the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) moves from a nationwide strike to rotating work stoppages beginning Saturday morning at 6 a.m. local time. Canada Post says it is preparing for a safe, phased restart of operations, with services expected to ramp up next week, though reliability will vary by region as different locals rotate out of service.

The postal service has suspended all service guarantees, citing the operational challenges of repeatedly shutting down and restarting parts of its national network. While the shift is expected to help clear some of the backlog, businesses and customers should still anticipate delays and uneven delivery.

Small-business advocates welcomed the partial restart but warned it won’t provide the predictability many firms need. They urged the federal government to bring the dispute to a full close and accelerate planned postal reforms.

CUPW, representing about 55,000 postal workers, began the nationwide strike on Sept. 25 following Ottawa’s announcement of significant changes to Canada Post’s business model. Those measures include phasing out door-to-door delivery for nearly all households, lifting a moratorium on community mailbox conversions to enable the remaining four million door-to-door addresses to be converted—an initiative the government says would save nearly $400 million annually—ending a longstanding moratorium on closing rural post offices affecting close to 4,000 sites, and shifting non-urgent mail to ground transport to save more than $20 million per year.

The union has raised concerns that the reforms would erode public postal service and eliminate thousands of jobs, and it plans further meetings with the minister responsible for Canada Post. Canada Post, meanwhile, says it is awaiting a response to its latest contract proposals from Oct. 3 and argues that aligning operations with current demand is necessary to reduce reliance on taxpayer funds. Federal mediators remain available to assist both sides.

⛈️ Rain Joke of the Day 🌧️ 

🌧️ What’s a rainstorm’s favorite game? 🎲⭐️ 

Hide and seek in the puddles! 👀🔍

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