Despite a national postal strike creating widespread frustration across Canada, including among members of the Edmonton Stamp Club, the club remains optimistic about the future of the hobby.
The four-week-long disruption has made obtaining and shipping materials challenging for local collectors and dealers alike.
David Pattison, president of the Edmonton Stamp Club, told CTV News Edmonton that the strike has forced collectors to seek alternative delivery methods, often at a higher cost.
“You start looking at UPS and FedEx and some of the others, they’re a lot more costly than Canada Post, and timeliness as well,” Pattison said. “It affects not just Canada, but elsewhere as well. With the Canada Post strike, some of our people here are servicing clients who may be in Great Britain or maybe in South Africa, so they’re unable to get the materials to them.”
Longtime collector Keith Spencer echoed Pattison’s sentiments, noting how integral mail is to the stamp-collecting hobby. “I think most collectors feel that they can’t stay in touch with other collectors, and they can’t send stamps to people, and they can’t get stamps. It’s very frustrating,” said Spencer, who has been collecting for more than 70 years.
Spencer also pointed out how the strike disrupts online transactions, a key component of modern stamp collecting. “A lot of the hobby is done now on eBay. People are buying, selling, trading, and collectors love to send letters and to get mail. That component of the hobby has been really interrupted by the strike.”
Despite these challenges, the Edmonton Stamp Club continues to thrive. Pattison noted that while the club is still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, meeting attendance is rebounding. Before the pandemic, Monday evening meetings would see around 60 attendees; this week, more than 50 members gathered, demonstrating the club’s resilience.
“Anytime you have a strike going on and you get a shortage of materials, then yes, it’s going to have an impact on our meetings, but I think [a drop of interest] would be a ways [away],” Pattison said.
As businesses across Canada urge the federal government to intervene in the labour dispute between Canada Post and its union, the Edmonton Stamp Club is focusing on weathering the storm. While the postal strike coincides with the busiest mailing season of the year, both Pattison and Spencer believe the hobby will endure regardless of what the future holds for Canada Post.
This story is based on reporting by Craig Ellingson, CTV News Edmonton Journalist, with additional files from Sean McClune and The Canadian Press. To watch the CTV video, click here.