Tyler McCombs has about 500 pairs of underwear stuck in the mail.The packages are trapped in Canada Post's delivery network as a nationwide strike — which has now dragged on for two weeks — has brought its postal system to a standstill.

As the Canada Post strike drags on, businesses in rural areas are left without what's an essential service to many. Dan Driediger, who runs a map business in northern Saskatchewan, says the strike is killing his business.

The work stoppage continues as the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, with many retailers wholly reliant on Canada Post for getting purchases out to customers