Latest news with #LiamKelley
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Amazon deliveries halted in some rural areas
GLENBORO — A local entrepreneur is concerned about the vulnerability of small towns after his Amazon deliveries were halted due to labour uncertainty at Canada Post. Liam Kelley, owner of Kelley Laser Engraving Services, told the Sun Thursday that for three weeks, deliveries to his business from Amazon have been disabled unexpectedly. The businessman said the stoppage causes him to worry that small communities are at risk of being stripped of services they depend on. 'Having a service like that, that just goes mysteriously dark … it's a little scary,' Kelley told the Sun. 'At any moment, something we rely on can be cut off.' Glenboro Mayor Charles Radford confirmed to the Sun that he has also seen Amazon deliveries stop. For his business, Kelley orders bulk quantities of small items like magnets and coasters through Amazon. An order to his home was cancelled three weeks ago, and then followup orders were frozen, and his address is now treated as invalid when he inputs it for delivery options. In an email to the Sun, a spokesperson for Amazon confirmed that there are new issues with delivery to some areas in Canada. 'Amazon is temporarily unable to ship to addresses that are uniquely served by Canada Post, because we are currently unable to guarantee delivery times,' the spokesperson wrote. 'This includes PO boxes, and pickup points and communities that are only serviced by Canada Post.' The spokesperson encouraged customers to switch to delivery provided by alternative carriers, or to use a nearby Amazon Counter pickup point. The stoppage demonstrates how Glenboro and other small communities are vulnerable, Kelley said. 'It's kind of a town issue. It's a thing that puts the town's survival in jeopardy,' he said. Glenboro had a population of 544 people in the most recent census, in 2021. Kelley said he believes that small communities need to work on being more self-reliant, such as by manufacturing things locally. 'God help us if we lose Canada Post.' Kelley said he now can't obtain certain items that he planned to engrave. He travels the one-hour drive to Brandon to search for materials, but some items are not available, especially in bulk quantities, he said In the Canada Post dispute, developments continued Thursday in the effort to secure a contract between the Crown corporation and unionized workers. The federal government asked union employees to vote directly on the latest offers that the postal service made. Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu announced in a social media post that she's using her powers under the Canada Labour Code to send the Crown corporation's latest offers to Canadian Union of Postal Workers members for a vote. The Canada Industrial Relations Board will be directed to conduct the vote 'as soon as possible,' she said. Canada Post spokesperson Lisa Liu said the corporation welcomes the vote. Hajdu said it's in the 'public interest' to give the roughly 55,000 CUPW members an opportunity to vote on the offers, which Canada Post has said are its 'final' proposals. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canada Post labour strife jeopardizes Amazon rural deliveries
GLENBORO — A rural businessman said he's been left high and dry because his Amazon deliveries were halted due to labour uncertainty at Canada Post. Liam Kelley, owner of Kelley Laser Engraving Services, told the Brandon Sun Thursday that for three weeks, deliveries to his business from Amazon have been disabled. The stoppage makes him to worry that small communities will be stripped of vital services. 'Having a service like that, that just goes mysteriously dark… it's a little scary,' Kelley said. 'At any moment, something we rely on can be cut off.' Glenboro Mayor Charles Radford confirmed Amazon deliveries have stopped. Kelley orders bulk quantities of small items such as magnets and coasters through Amazon. An order to his home was cancelled three weeks ago, and then followup orders were frozen, and his address is invalid when he inputs it for delivery options. A spokesperson for Amazon confirmed there are problems with delivery to some areas in Canada. 'Amazon is temporarily unable to ship to addresses that are uniquely served by Canada Post, because we are currently unable to guarantee delivery times,' the spokesperson wrote. 'This includes PO Boxes, and pickup points and communities that are only serviced by Canada Post.' The spokesperson encouraged customers to switch to delivery provided by other carriers, or to use a nearby Amazon Counter pickup point. The stoppage demonstrates how Glenboro and other small communities are vulnerable, Kelley said. 'It's kind of a town issue. It's a thing that puts the town's survival in jeopardy,' he said. Glenboro had a population of 544 people in the most recent census, in 2021. Kelley said he feels that small communities need to work on being more self-reliant, such as by manufacturing things locally. 'God help us if we lose Canada Post.' Kelley said he can't obtain certain items he had planned to engrave. He drives one hour to Brandon to search for materials, but some items are not available, especially in bulk quantities, he said In the Canada Post dispute, developments continued Thursday to secure a contract between the Crown corporation and unionized workers. The federal government asked union employees to vote directly on the latest offer made by Canada Post. Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said in a social media post she's using her power under the Canada Labour Code to send the Crown corporation's latest offer to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers members for a vote. The Canada Industrial Relations Board will be directed to conduct the vote 'as soon as possible,' she said. In a media statement issued Thursday, Canada Post spokesperson Lisa Liu said the corporation welcomes the vote, adding 'it will provide employees with the opportunity to have a voice and vote on a new collective agreement at a critical point in our history.' 'A negotiated agreement between the parties has always been the preferred path to an employee ratification vote, however the parties remain at a major impasse,' Liu said. Hajdu said it's in the 'public interest' to give the roughly 55,000 CUPW members an opportunity to vote on the offer, which Canada Post has said is its 'final' proposal. While Canada Post requested the vote as a way to resolve the 18-month-old dispute in a timely manner, the minister directed the parties last week to hash out terms for binding arbitration — a process CUPW said it would support. — Brandon Sun, with files from The Canadian Press
