Canada Post’s fuel surcharge of 40 per cent on parcel delivery is having a big impact on small business throughout Atlantic Canada.

Director for the region with the Retail Council of Canada, Jim Cormier, says the surcharge is affecting businesses of all sizes.

He says raising minimum free-shipping thresholds or adding surcharges to consumers directly is a last resort and for many retailers, not a possibility.

That, he says, is forcing many retailers to work as hard as they can to find savings elsewhere.