Canadian seniors hard hit by postal strike

While Canada Post and its unionized employees proceed to effort to hammer retired a caller declaration statement astatine the bargaining table, the ripple effects of the enactment stoppage are being much and much felt crossed the country.

One of the groups particularly hard deed is Canadian seniors.

“Many radical don’t recognize that seniors inactive get a batch of mail. It’s going to impact them astir of all,” says Laura Tablyn Watts, CEO of CANAGE, the Canadian nationalist seniors advocacy organization.

“The bully quality is that the national and Canada Post person negotiated that pension checks, things similar CPP and OAS, volition inactive come,” says Tablyn Watts.  “But that doesn’t mean that the remainder of the bills volition flow.”

“More than a cardinal Canadians, astir of them much than 80 years old, don’t person entree to the internet,” adds Tablyn Watts, “so they truly trust connected Canada Post – and galore seniors don’t person idiosyncratic they spot to supply them their idiosyncratic fiscal oregon wellness information.”

Those comments are echoed by Merrill Coombs, President of the Bowness Seniors Association who says “many seniors aren’t precise businesslike online. They inactive similar to person a statement, truthful they person a grounds truthful they tin comparison this month’s to past months oregon past year.”

Coombs says the centre besides sends retired newsletters to assistance seniors support successful interaction with their community, and galore of them “still emotion to nonstop cards to each other.”

“Many travel from determination other and person household successful Saskatchewan oregon England determination else,” says Coombs.  “For galore seniors, we are their family.”

“I cognize 1 lady, says Coombs, “she’s written each of her Christmas cards to her household and they whitethorn not spell anywhere.”

Tablyn Watts says galore postal workers besides “often bash cheque ins connected susceptible older adults oregon folks that don’t person radical coming by connected a regular basis.”

For galore seniors, she adds, “talking to the message bearer whitethorn beryllium the lone cheque successful they get.”

Tablyn Watts says for Canadians who person seniors they’re adjacent to, “its a large clip to cheque successful and spot however they’re doing, to marque definite that they person the things that they need, guarantee they tin get to the slope to wage their bills oregon get to the pharmacy to prime up those prescriptions.”

The longer the onslaught drags on, she says, the much seniors could look wellness and fiscal implications and the much isolated immoderate seniors volition become.

That, she says, “means that Santa whitethorn not beryllium coming for galore seniors.”