Canada Post moves up pre-holiday deadlines after coronavirus drives up demand

Canada Post has moved up deadlines for pre-Christmas parcel delivery within Canada in response to unprecedented holiday demand caused by COVID-19 but is still telling Canadians to expect delays.

While all deadlines for mail remain unchanged, the local deadline is Friday for Priority, Xpresspost, flat rate box and regular parcel services.

The regional deadline is Friday for Priority and Xpresspost, Wednesday to Friday for flat rate box and Monday to Wednesday for regular service.

The national deadline is Friday for Priority, Thursday for Xpresspost, last Friday to Thursday for flat rate box and last Wednesday to Tuesday for regular parcel services.

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The changes come after Canada Post delivered a record 1.1 million parcels over the weekend as Canadians have been increasingly shopped online and are shipping gifts in greater numbers to replace traditional holiday visits.

Canada Post ramped up its holiday service early and has added more than 4,000 seasonal employees, more than 1,000 vehicles to its fleet and worked with commercial customers to manage the flow of parcels.