Yes. Since October 2026, Canada Post has been delivering packages on weekends. — but only in certain areas of three cities. The service launched in Ottawa in early October 2026 and extends to Montreal and Toronto by the end of November 2026, according to a Canada Post press release dated September 28, 2026. Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary will follow in 2027. Everywhere else in Canada, delivery continues to take place Monday through Friday. And Canada Post decides whether delivery will be on Saturday or Sunday for each area: neither the sender nor the recipient can choose the day.

A reminder: The rates listed in this article are for informational purposes only and may vary depending on your plan, the service you choose, and your province.

Which cities and neighborhoods will be covered in 2026?

Weekend delivery is not available nationwide. It is being rolled out by Routing Sort Area (RTA), that is, by ZIP code, rather than by entire city. A business in Laval may be eligible, while a neighboring business located just a few kilometers away may not be.

Canada Post mentions coverage of more than 7 million Canadian households Once the expansion is complete, on a network that serves 17.8 million addresses. In other words, even after 2027, a clear majority of Canadian addresses will still receive weekday deliveries. Before promising «Saturday delivery» on your website, check the delivery ZIP code in the Canada Post tool—not just the city name.

Saturday or Sunday: Can you choose the day?

No. Canada Post assigns one weekend day to each sector, and the sender has no say in that decision. This has two practical consequences for an online store:

• You cannot sell «Sunday delivery» as a paid option in the shopping cart, unlike what some private services allow;
• If delivery fails over the weekend, the package will be presented the next business day. No pickup notifications are sent for weekend pickups at post offices, since not all counters are open.

A point that's often misunderstood: weekend delivery does not change the published delivery standards. Canada Post always calculates its delivery times in business days and explicitly excludes «the day of drop-off, weekends, and holidays.» An Express Parcel with an estimated delivery time of 1 to 2 days between two locations within the same major city remains a commitment of 1 to 2 business days : Saturday delivery is an operational bonus, not a contractual standard. If your delivery promise is a selling point, state it in business days and treat Saturday as a potential bonus.

Which services and locations are eligible?

Eligibility depends on both the service selected and the type of address. The table below summarizes the rules published by Canada Post.

How to interpret this table: Weekend delivery is designed for the residential e-commerce package. If your customer base consists of businesses, or if you frequently use credit notes and collection holds, this service will not affect your turnaround times. Instead, consider the FlexDelivery pickup locations, which are free and available during post office hours.

How does weekend delivery affect your small business?

Three concrete, measurable effects based on your own data:

• Two days saved on weekend orders. An order placed on Thursday evening in an eligible area can be delivered on Saturday instead of Monday, without paying for express service.
• Less busy on Mondays. The weekend is no longer a gap in the network, which evens out Monday’s volumes and reduces cascading delays during peak season. For more on this, see our 2026 Peak Load Surcharges.
• A widening gap in housing costs. For private carriers, residential delivery in 2026 carries a surcharge of approximately $6.45 to $6.50 per package, and Saturday delivery generally remains an option that is billed separately. With Canada Post, weekend delivery is included in the regular service in covered areas.

In the same press release dated September 28, 2026, Canada Post confirmed two other options that are useful for small and medium-sized businesses: the home pickup, priced at approximately 8.5 million addresses at a flat rate of $3.50 plus tax, and the Exchange Point at the post office in $5 per transaction plus taxes, currently being tested in Calgary, Hamilton, the Ottawa-Gatineau region, and Greater Vancouver. The network also includes more than 25,000 drop-off locations. At Shipping Store, ...it is the combination of these three factors—the weekend, the $3.50 pickup fee, and local returns—that tips the scales in Canada Post’s favor for light residential packages, far more so than the base rate alone.

Why does this commitment extend through 2029?

Because it is stipulated in a collective bargaining agreement. On the 1st^er In June 2026, members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers ratified the new collective bargaining agreements at approximately 89% among urban workers and 85.9% among rural and suburban mail carriers. These agreements are in effect until January 31, 2029 and called for wage increases of 6.5% in the first year and 3% in the second.

Above all, the agreement created the position of part-time package delivery driver in urban operations, where work is primarily on Saturdays and Sundays, with routes dynamic based on actual volume rather than fixed routes. This is what sets the 2026 announcement apart from previous promises: the weekend workforce exists contractually, and the 2024–2025 volumes diverted to UPS, FedEx, and Purolator during the strike years can return without the risk of labor disputes that had caused them to leave.

Three Things to Do This Week

1. Test your ten most common ZIP codes

Don't think in terms of cities. Enter your ten most common destinations into Canada Post's eligibility tool and note which ones are covered. This is the only reliable basis for adjusting your posted delivery times.

2. Request a new quote if you have left Canada Post

If you’ve shifted your shipping volumes during these uncertain times, compare the total cost—base rate plus surcharges—with your current carriers. For light, non-urgent residential shipments, the difference is often significant.

3. Write down your commitments in business days

Display «1 to 2 business days» instead of «2 days.» This way, Saturday delivery becomes an early delivery—perceived as good service—rather than a commitment you have no control over. To track the actual impact on your shipments, check out our guide to Package Tracking in Canada and our Delivery Times for 2026.

Conclusion

In November 2026, the answer to «Does Canada Post deliver on weekends?» is yes—in Ottawa since early October, and in Montreal and Toronto by the end of the month, for residential packages in eligible areas, on a day chosen by Canada Post. Everywhere else, delivery is still Monday through Friday. So the right decision isn’t to switch over across the board, but to check your ZIP codes and reserve Canada Post for areas where weekend delivery is actually active.

Want to know which carrier offers the best rates for your packages, including on weekends? The team at’Shipping Store compares rates from Canada Post, Purolator, UPS, FedEx, and DHL for you and develops the most cost-effective shipping strategy for your business. Request a quote at expertshipping.ca.

Sources: Canada Post, «Weekend Delivery for Canadian Businesses» and «Delivery Standards — Shipping Packages in Canada»; Canada Post press release dated September 28, 2026. Data accessed November 7, 2026.