Canada Post closes shipping loophole

Groceries bound for Nunavut

Amanda Eecherk is worried her grocery bills will skyrocket after Canada Post closed a loophole that people across Nunavut were using to stock their pantries with items shipped for free through Amazon Prime.

A can of tomatoes costs $10 in Rankin Inlet, says the 42-year-old mother.

But with a slight change to her postal code when purchasing through Amazon, Eecherk could get almost 10 cans sent to the hamlet on the northwestern side of Hudson Bay for the same cost.

“Amazon provided the relief that we needed,” she said.

Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.

The vast territory has some of the highest food costs and rates of food insecurity in Canada.

Eecherk said inflation has worsened the issue. A cucumber that would have cost $2.79 in Rankin Inlet a few years ago now sells for $5.99.

She said she was able to save money on groceries by using the simple postal code scheme.

In the Amazon checkout section, she said she put all the correct information but changed the local postal code of X0C 0G0 to a fake one — X0C 0G1. Amazon Prime marked it as free and it was delivered to the Rankin Inlet post office.

An online petition is now calling for Amazon Prime to extend its free shipping services to all communities in the North.