​TORONTO – CNIB applauds the Federal Government’s decision to move ahead with back-to-work legislation that will end the nearly two week labour disruption at Canada Post.

“The climate of uncertainty created by this disruption has taken a huge toll on Canadian charities like CNIB that depend on a reliable postal system to be able to fulfil their missions,” said John M. Rafferty, president and CEO, CNIB. “The Government’s quick action will help contain the losses in funding and unforeseen costs we’ve have had to incur throughout this period.”

In letters addressed to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Labour earlier this week, Mr. Rafferty expressed his concerns about the difficult financial situation CNIB has faced throughout the disruption.

With 70 per cent of its funding coming from donations, more than half of which arrive through the mail, CNIB is now facing an estimated loss of $250,000 in much-needed funding for this time of the year. The charity has also incurred nearly $30,000 in unexpected costs associated with communicating its contingency plans to clients, donors and library users.

“The last few weeks have been challenging and we’ve tried to minimize the impact of the disruption on our clients and their families as best we can,” said Rafferty. “While we look forward to things returning to normal, setbacks like this have a ripple effect over time so our immediate focus will be letting our supporters know we urgently need their help.”