Public Notice: Potential impact to services in the event of a Canada Post labour disruption

Cobourg, ON – November 14, 2024 – Northumberland County is notifying residents that all incoming and outgoing mail may be affected by a potential labour disruption at Canada Post. A 72-hour strike notice was issued on Tuesday, November 12, and would take effect on Friday, November 15 at 12:01 a.m. ET, should an agreement not be reached by then.

In the event of a Canada Post labour disruption, the County would not send large distribution mailings, such as notices and bills, and may be unable to receive incoming mail. Residents and service partners who recently received an invoice for a County service are still responsible for the timely payment of their bills, even during a disruption. Where possible, online payments are encouraged.

Alternative ways to access impacted County services include:

Online

• Apply for Northumberland County programs, services, licences, permits and more online by visiting Northumberland.ca/ OnlineServices.

In Person

Northumberland County Headquarters, 555 Courthouse Road, Cobourg

• Ontario Works (OW) clients, who normally receive their payments by mail, will be required to pick up their social assistance cheque at the Community & Social Services office at Northumberland County Headquarters, 555 Courthouse Rd, Cobourg from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday effective immediately. Individuals receiving OW payments through direct deposit will receive payment, into a bank account, as usual. Those that receive their OW payments via Reloadable Payment Card (RPC) will receive payment as usual. Note: Clients are still required to report income changes, and changes to their circumstances, to their caseworker.
  To pick up a cheque, valid identification is required. If you are unable to attend in person, someone else can pick items up on your behalf. To have someone pick up on your behalf, a valid form of the client’s identification, and signed consent (to be kept on file), must be provided.
  If the labour disruption continues past the December monthly payment date (November 25, 2024), more information will be provided to clients regarding alternate pick-up locations.
• Child Care Fee Subsidy recipients can deliver documents in person at the County building in Cobourg, email their documents to their caseworker, or submit their documents through our online portal. Details on registration for the portal can be found at Northumberland.ca/ChildCareSubsidy.
• Tenants/clients of the Northumberland County Housing Corporation or Rent Supplement or Housing Benefit Programs, who normally mail in information required for rent calculations etc, may see a delay until the postal disruption has ended. Tenants/ clients alternatively can hand in documents in person at the County building in Cobourg to have them scanned and returned.
• Waste Bag Tags: Online purchase of bag tags has been suspended until further notice. For a list of locations in Northumberland where bag tags are available for purchase, please visit Northumberland.ca/BagTags.

860 William Street, Cobourg

• Fines incurred under the Provincial Offences Act (POA) can be paid in person at the Provincial Offences Office at 860 William Street, Cobourg or online at Northumberland.ca/Tickets. Fines can also be paid over the phone by calling 905-372-3329 ext. 5300 or toll free at 1-800-354-7050 ext. 5300, or in person at any POA court office in the Province of Ontario.
  Clients are encouraged to attend the court office located at 860 William Street, Cobourg with respect to any time-sensitive material.