Just a week into a nationwide postal strike, the remote village of Fort Simpson in Canada’s Far North is already feeling profoundly disconnected.
While most urban Canadians, with their array of delivery alternatives, might barely notice the strike that began on September 25th, and are indifferent to the potential drastic downsizing of the struggling state-owned Canada Post, the impact on places like Fort Simpson is far more severe.
For isolated communities such as Fort Simpson, however, the postal service isn’t just about mail; it’s an indispensable link to the outside world.
Life-saving medications, critical spare parts, and vital business supplies exclusively rely on Canada Post for delivery, arriving by truck and plane—that is, when the unpredictable northern weather cooperates.
The local post office, with its 860 boxes, is the central hub where every resident receives mail, collects larger packages, and dispatches their own shipments.
(An image shows the exterior of the Canada Post office in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, operating with limited services due to the ongoing strike.)
For Crystal Marshall, Canada Post is the key to her livelihood. She uses 3-D printing, laser cutting, and crocheting to create various crafts, including decorative items and custom T-shirts for businesses, all from her Fort Simpson home.
However, the ongoing strike means she cannot receive the essential supplies needed to sustain her operations.
“It completely disrupts my small business income,” Ms. Marshall stated, “and we will be in trouble as a community if it continues.”
During a Canada Post strike last November, which extended into December, Ms. Marshall was unable to acquire materials for her Christmas market sales – typically the most profitable period of her year. She lost out on the crucial holiday season and a significant portion of her annual earnings.
Indigenous elders in the community who rely on selling traditional crafts also faced similar losses, she added.
Fort Simpson, a quaint collection of homes nestled on an island at the convergence of the Mackenzie and Liard Rivers, surrounded by a lush boreal forest, is geographically small and remote. It’s approximately an hour’s flight from Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories.
Yet, within the vast Canadian North, which is dotted with even tinier hamlets and communities of just a few individuals living north of the 60th parallel, Fort Simpson stands as a vital regional hub. It provides essential retail, banking, and medical services for places like Sambaa K’e and Nahanni Butte, which are primarily accessible by air.
(A map illustrates the strategic location of Fort Simpson within the Northwest Territories, highlighting its remoteness and its connection to surrounding smaller communities.)
Canada Post, despite its current challenges, remains a fundamental artery connecting these isolated places and their inhabitants to each other, to critical services, and to the wider nation of Canada, the world’s second-largest country by landmass after Russia.
(A sign posted at the Fort Simpson Canada Post office informs customers that no outgoing mail is being accepted due to the ongoing strike.)
Prime Minister Mark Carney, elected this year, campaigned on a promise to safeguard Canadian sovereignty and further integrate the country’s vast, largely uninhabited territories, especially in light of President Trump’s territorial claims.
The provision of universal services to all Canadians is considered a state responsibility. Many also advocate for ensuring Indigenous peoples can continue to reside on their ancestral lands, regardless of location, with Canada Post playing a crucial role in maintaining their connection to the rest of the country.
Some argue that this isn’t just about services, but also about national sovereignty.
“I think that the strongest assertion of sovereignty is having strong communities,” stated Premier R.J. Simpson, the leader of the Northwest Territories, during an interview in Yellowknife.
Canada Post is currently grappling with a long-standing existential crisis, battling declining mail volumes and intense competition from private delivery companies that operate with fewer labor regulations.
The service has required billions in taxpayer-funded bailouts to remain operational. The current government plans to discontinue door-to-door delivery for millions of households, consolidate services, and close some rural post offices in an effort to reduce expenditures.
Such sweeping cuts would likely result in significant layoffs among the service’s 68,000 employees. Members of the postal workers’ union initiated the strike after the government announced these proposed service reductions.
This instability spells trouble for the delicate network of connections that link Fort Simpson and other remote communities to the broader Canadian landscape.
Sergei Mjatelski, a bush pilot, anxiously awaits the strike’s conclusion to receive essential spare parts for his business. Mr. Mjatelski owns and operates Goose Flying, a small airline that serves remote fly-in communities surrounding Fort Simpson and transports tourists to the nearby Nahanni National Park.
He relies heavily on Canada Post to deliver the parts necessary to maintain his aircraft. In turn, many others depend on Mr. Mjatelski’s services.
He not only delivers mail to even harder-to-reach locations but also utilizes the extra capacity on his mail flights to transport groceries and other vital necessities.
All these critical services are now on hold.
Herb Norwegian, the Grand Chief of the Dehcho First Nations and a prominent community leader in Fort Simpson, acknowledged the postal service’s challenges. “We need to learn how to do more things online like our banking and government correspondence, use technology,” he commented.
(Grand Chief Herb Norwegian of the Dehcho First Nations is pictured, having expressed that the postal service’s challenges necessitate residents to increasingly conduct business online.)
However, he cautioned that this shift would likely lead to further cuts to other crucial services Canada Post provides in the Far North, acting as the primary delivery service for almost everything.
Muaz Hassan, who owns an inn, a diner, and a convenience store in Fort Simpson, voiced concerns that a prolonged postal strike, or long-term alterations to Canada Post’s delivery methods, could exacerbate residents’ feelings of abandonment.
Fort Simpson frequently experiences stark reminders of its isolation. In recent weeks, a wildfire, still burning in parts of the boreal forest near the village, damaged fiber optic cables, leaving the community without internet access.
Last year, severe droughts caused the Mackenzie River’s water levels to drop so low that the barge, which transports vehicles and trucks to the island where the village is located, ceased operations. This left people, vehicles, and goods stranded on both sides for days.
“The federal and territorial governments are already neglecting this region,” Mr. Hassan asserted, “and I worry that the postal situation will make people feel even more cut off and forgotten.”
(Muaz Hassan, owner of several businesses in Fort Simpson, is shown. He fears that disruptions to Canada Post services will deepen the community’s sense of isolation from the rest of Canada.)