Canada Post employees across Saskatchewan are walking the picket line once again, part of a nationwide strike over plans to phase out door to door mail delivery and close some rural post offices.

It’s the second time in less than a year that Canada Post employees have gone on strike. Regina’s downtown post office is one of several locations across Saskatchewan.

Workers walked off the job Thursday just hours after cost saving measures were announced at the Crown corporation.

“Yeah, unfortunately that announcement really said, ‘Hey we’re going to be slashing jobs,’ and unfortunately for us that’s not an option for CUPW,” said Jared Jakubowski with CUPW Local 820.

Some workers in Saskatoon say the announcement took them by surprise.

“Our union leadership met with the minister not long ago and he gave no indication that he was going to be recommending following all of the Kaplan Commission recommendations,” Terri Reilly with CUPW Saskatoon said.

John Peters is a Saskatoon senior who says walking to a community mailbox to pick up his mail could pose a hardship.

“I probably wouldn’t go out when it’s snowing or raining,” he said.

Companies that rely on Canada Post for shipment of out-of-town orders, like Sticks & Doodles in Regina, are again having to turn to couriers.

“We were exclusively Canada Post last year. We never used UPS or Purolator until the strike ever. Never even looked at them or touched them and the moment the strike happened, and we were forced into those positions, it’s tough,” co-founder Kyle Moffatt said.

“I love Canada Post. I love our postal workers, but I now love a lot of our UPS workers with who we generated really good relationships too,” he added.

Canada Post says it will not accept mail or parcels during the strike. The union has agreed to deliver Canada Pension and Child Benefit cheques. Social assistance payments can be picked up in person and utility bills paid through banks.