Skip to content
File a complaint
File a complaint

Canada Post tracking status

Canada Post “Item delayed, stay tuned for updates”: what it means

The short answer

Keep an eye on it

Canada Post has marked your parcel as delayed and has no new delivery date to show yet. Most delayed parcels still arrive within 5 business days of the expected date, but severe weather, a backlog or a problem on an international route can take longer.

When to act: If there is still no new date and no parcel after 5 business days, file a complaint and we send it to Canada Post.

Bizzy online

Tell me what happened. I write your complaint with you and we send it to Canada Post.

Also shown as: “Item delayed” · “Expected delivery: Date pending” · “Delivery may be delayed due to public authority”

What to do now

  1. Read the latest lines in Track and note the date and city of the last scan.

  2. Look at Canada Post's delivery service alerts for your area, or for the country your parcel is coming from.

  3. If work has only just resumed after a stoppage, allow for the backlog: older parcels move first.

  4. If your parcel is waiting at a post office, go by the pickup date in Track. After one stoppage, Canada Post restarted the 15 days for held parcels.

  5. Keep a screenshot each time the date changes, and note your tracking number.

  6. Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to Canada Post, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

    Start my complaint

Running late with another courier

What does “Item delayed, stay tuned for updates” mean?

In tracking histories people share, this wording replaces the date in the 'Expected delivery' field of Track, while the scans below it stay as they were or carry on. Canada Post does not define it on its help pages, and it says updates show in Track as they become available. The cause can be weather, road closures, transport delays, demonstrations, a power outage or a transport error, all of which its parcel guide names. Some people have also seen 'Delivery may be delayed due to public authority', which Canada Post does not explain either, mostly on items going to the US.

After a strike or other work stoppage, the delay comes from the restart. Canada Post has said parcels in the network stay secure but cannot be retrieved during a stoppage. When work resumed, it first cleared the parcels trapped in the system, handled them first in, first out, held back new commercial volumes at first and suspended on-time guarantees until the network settled.

Why does Canada Post show it?

  • Severe weather, road closures or natural disasters
  • A strike or work stoppage when one happens, and the backlog while the network restarts
  • Transport delays, demonstrations or a power outage
  • A transport error by Canada Post
  • Holiday and seasonal volume
  • Suspended service or transport shortages on international routes

How long does it last?

A new date appears in Track when Canada Post has one, and the next scan is usually 'Item processed' or 'Item out for delivery'. Canada Post says most delayed parcels arrive within 5 business days of the expected delivery date. After one national strike, it took about three weeks from the restart to bring domestic parcels back to full service.

Other Canada Post statuses

All Canada Post statuses →

Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from Canada Post?

If you bought online from a business, the seller chose Canada Post and is its customer, so a late, lost or missing order is in most cases for the seller to put right, with a replacement or a refund. Canada Post also says that only the sender can receive compensation for a missing parcel.

For a parcel you sent yourself, Canada Post's General Terms and Conditions are the contract between you. Most Priority, Xpresspost and Expedited Parcel shipments include cover of up to $100, the first $100 must be bought for Regular Parcel, and you can add more when you mail it, up to $5,000 within Canada and $1,000 for most US and international shipments. Compensation is the lowest of the item's value, the cover you bought or the cover included, plus postage where it applies. A claim for a missing parcel has to start within 90 days of the shipping date within Canada, or 6 months for the US and abroad. A late parcel on a guaranteed service may earn the sender a postage refund, but the terms excuse causes beyond Canada Post's control, including labour disruptions and customs.

Questions about “Item delayed, stay tuned for updates”

What does 'Item delayed, stay tuned for updates' mean on Canada Post?

Canada Post has no delivery date to show right now. It does not define the wording, but in histories people share it replaces the expected date until the next scan. That alone does not mean the parcel is lost.

Why is my Canada Post package delayed?

Canada Post names weather, road closures, transport delays, demonstrations and power outages as causes, and past strikes caused long delays. Parcels from abroad can also wait on customs, and service to some countries can be suspended.

How long do Canada Post delays last after a strike?

It depends on how long work stopped. After one national strike, Canada Post warned of delays for weeks and took about three weeks from the restart to bring domestic parcels back to full service. Older parcels move first.

Are there Canada Post delays right now?

Canada Post lists current weather interruptions and international suspensions in its delivery service alerts. It has signed new long-term agreements with its main union, so a strike by that union is not a likely cause while those run. For your own parcel, the lines in Track are the best guide.

Do Canada Post delivery guarantees apply during a strike?

Usually not. Canada Post has suspended its on-time guarantees during stoppages until the network settled, and its terms excuse delays from labour disruptions. A postage refund for a late parcel goes only to the sender.

Based on

  • Canada Post: Will my package be delivered on time?
  • Canada Post: Tracking Events and Services (parcel guide)
  • Canada Post: Delivery service alerts
  • Canada Post: My package hasn't arrived (5 business days)
  • Canada Post: Resuming operations, important information for customers
  • Canada Post: Back to full service levels for domestic parcels
  • Canada Post: Customers should expect delays as the union moves to rotating strikes
  • Canada Post: General Terms and Conditions (excusable delay)
  • Canada Post: Why hasn't my letter been delivered? (holidays and seasonal volume, stated for letters)
  • RedFlagDeals forum: Is Canada Post really backed up? (shared tracking history)
  • RedFlagDeals forum: Item picked up by Canada Post then no updates (Expected delivery: Date pending)
  • eBay Canada community: Delivery may be delayed due to public authority (shared tracking history)
  • Canada Post: CUPW-represented employees vote to accept tentative agreements
  • InfoPost: Negotiations hub (collective agreements signed)
  • Reddit r/CanadaPost: shared experience (date removed, Item delayed, stay tuned for updates)
  • Reddit r/CanadaPost: shared experience (Delivery may be delayed due to public authority, item going to the US)
  • Canada Post: My package hasn't arrived (who can be paid, time limits, $100 base cover)
  • Canada Post: My package was delivered late (postage refund for the sender, guaranteed services)
  • Canada Post: Coverage options, parcel guide ($100 included, first $100 bought for Regular Parcel, up to $5,000)
  • Canada Post: General Terms and Conditions, customers without a Standing Offer Agreement (liability cover, excusable delay)

Parcel still not here?
File a complaint about Canada Post.

Start my complaint