Winnipeg postal workers still collecting letters to Santa amid ongoing strike

Santa Claus travels through downtown Winnipeg during the Manitoba Hydro Santa Claus Parade on Nov. 16, 2024. (CTV News Winnipeg)

While the Canada Post workers strike enters its second week, those on the picket lines are determined to keep up an annual holiday tradition.

Every year, the courier starts receiving letters to Santa Claus in November. Last year, it sent out more than a million responses from the man himself.

On Nov. 15, 55,000 postal workers walked off the job after failing to reach a negotiated agreement with their employer.

The Letters to Santa program has been running for 40 years, and striking employees said it won’t be ending anytime soon.

“We’re still doing it because it’s been a long tradition of ours throughout the years, and we don’t think that a strike should prevent us from doing it again,” said Myron May, a picket captain with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW).

Instead of going to the red mailbox, Winnipeg families can visit one of three designated picket lines and hand their letters to striking workers:

• 1870 Wellington Ave., between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
• 1199 Nairn Ave., between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.
• 208 Provencher Blvd., between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

“It’s been a tradition, and the kids are really enthusiastic about it,” May said. “It's always a heartwarming thing for us during a really, really busy time of year.”

May added that both parties are still at the bargaining table, and he’s hopeful that some “major issues” will be addressed.

“I think they're trying to work out the details that will not only benefit the corporation, but make sure that our rights are respected and that we are not in a position where we have people doing that work for less money,” he said.

He said the support for the strike from workers and the public has been inspiring.

“We want a fair collective agreement, and sometimes you have to make sacrifices, and sometimes you have to really dig in in order to achieve those rates,” he said.