Whitehorse city council will hold a rare Thursday meeting to look at alternative ways to deliver mandatory public notices as the Canada Post strike drags on.
The meeting comes after members of the Canadian Union Of Postal Workers accused the city of using scab labour to deliver notices to residents.
“It’s egregiously anti-labour and it’s unconscionable,” said Mac Clohan, president of the CUPW local.
“I have no doubt that it was important information and that’s the point we’re trying to make here with the strike is that letter mail is still important and it is a vital role to be played in this community to have members out there delivering it.”
The city said planning department staff volunteered to deliver the flyers because it’s required to notify residents of public hearings about projects in their neighbourhood.
But the city’s zoning bylaw also permits other ways of notifying the public. Thursday’s meeting is meant for staff to get council’s direction on how to proceed.
In a statement Monday, Coun. Paolo Gallina said he called for a briefing from city staff on what to do. He said he sympathizes with the city’s position, but also striking CUPW workers, one of whom is his wife.
“Strikes are meant to draw attention to workers’ rights, and if city employees were in a similar position, and on strike, I would expect this type of understanding and respect from others within our community,” Gallina wrote.
A staff report for Thursday’s meeting says strike or no strike, the city is obligated to let people know about public hearings that affect them.
“Failure to provide written notice of public hearings as required risks non-compliance with bylaws, legal challenges, loss of community trust, and costly delays if the process is invalidated,” the report reads.
The staff report urges councillors to approve an alternative way to deliver public notifications “for the duration of the disruption, or until council determines otherwise.”