Canada Post and the CUPW are in tense negotiations, with an overtime ban already slowing deliveries. Analysts say automation and AI, along with a shift toward tech-enabled roles, could reduce reliance on unions and improve efficiency.

When Canada’s postal system couldn’t keep up with the growing volume, the solution was to create a system that computers could easily read and sort automatically — one that could work just as well for an apartment in downtown Toronto as it would for a fishing lodge in remote Nunavut.