REGINA -- Throughout December, Regina’s Canada Post office processes around 35,000 letters and packages every 24 hours, making it the busiest time of year for postal workers.

“This is with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas coming up,” said Bob Vibert, the operations manager for Regina’s Canada Post office. “The peak is hitting us and continues to come. Our people are busy for sure.”

Vibert said a record number of parcels were processed at the facility this week and employees are working hard to keep up with the delivery demands of the holidays.

To combat the increase in demand, Canada Post has increased staffing of both delivery drivers and mailroom workers. 24 additional delivery agents – in addition to 12 assigned strictly to parcel delivery – have been trained to help with the surplus. 20 workers have also been hired to work at the depot.

“To set a record day, we need a few more bodies in here,” said Vibert. “Our goal is to get everything that arrives into the facility, out of the facility today, as long as we can deliver it safely.”

Safety is a top concern for delivery drivers this time of year. Icy conditions have the potential to cause unsafe working conditions, which is why workers are urging customers to clear their walkways. If a walkway is impeded with an excess of snow or ice, Vibert said a letter or package might not be delivered.

“We’re empowering our delivery drivers to make that decision on the street. If it’s not shovelled and there is no clear path to it, we ask them not to deliver there. Bring that back and report it to the supervisor, and we can go out and address that with the customers.”

According to Canada Post, another concern during times of increased deliveries is porch pirates. The company said it is taking the appropriate measures to mitigate thefts, including offering a free service called FlexDelivery.

“You can request that your package gets delivered directly to one of the pickup locations,” Vibert said. “It might not even be the one closest to your house, it might be closer to your business, if it is more convenient for you to pick it up there.”

Although the busy season won’t be over until the New Year, Vibert said workers won’t necessarily be relieved when it’s over.

“Yes, peak season is hectic,” he said. “Everyone certainly takes a big breath when it’s done, but then we get back to business as usual. We look forward to being busy all year round.”