Members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers were on strike from Friday, November 15 to Monday, December 16, 2024. As a result, mail sent by Canada Post was not delivered during this period.
When the CRT serves a Dispute Notice on an applicant’s behalf (CRT service), it is served by regular mail. The CRT uses BC Mail Plus, a mail processing service, to send and receive postal mail. BC Mail Plus held outgoing mail during the strike. It has now begun to give that mail to Canada Post, but given the quantity of mail held during the strike, the CRT is unable to determine the timeframe in which the mail will be delivered.
The CRT will process disputes that were eligible to request a default decision and order before November 15, 2024, normally.
The following information applies to applicants who chose CRT service and who would have normally been able to request a default decision and order on or after November 15, 2024. If an applicant chose any method of service other than CRT service, this information does not apply to them.
Delay in processing default applications if an applicant chose CRT service
CRT Standard Rule 1.2(2) says that the tribunal can waive or vary the application of a rule or timeline to facilitate the fair, affordable, and efficient resolution of disputes.
The Canada Post strike may limit a respondent’s ability to receive or respond to a Dispute Notice by regular mail. For this reason, consistent with Rule 1.2(2) and the tribunal’s mandate, the CRT is exercising its discretion to delay processing requests for default decisions and orders.
In the interests of fairness, the CRT has not processed requests for default decisions and orders for disputes where the applicant became eligible to request a default decision and order on or after November 15, 2024. The CRT will resume processing requests for default decisions and orders for those disputes as early as January 31, 2025. Requests will be processed based on the date that the Dispute Notice was issued. For more information, see What is a default decision.
The CRT may exercise its discretion to extend timelines for respondents to submit completed Dispute Responses. Learn how to respond to a claim.