surge in Internet cross-border shopping by Canadians trying to cash in on the soaring loonie is creating headaches for consumers, border service agents and Canada Post.
There are already complaints of delivery delays as mail-sorting centres try to dig out from heaps of Canadian Internet order parcels from the United States - and the holiday shopping season is barely under way.
Officials say the volume of parcels has choked three main international mail-sorting centres operated by Canada Post and the Canada Border Service Agency in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
"The delays are being caused by the surge in online purchases," said Chris Williams, a Canadian Border Services Agency spokesman in Ottawa.
"It is not a security issue. It is due in large part to the surge in the Canadian dollar. This has led to making our mail centres very, very busy."
There are reports from consumers of parcels from the United States languishing for days and even weeks at the mail centres before being released for delivery.
Parcel and mail volumes were already up 18 per cent compared with last year, but that was before the Canadian dollar closed above the value of the greenback on Sept. 28.
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