Saskatchewan has more than 85 weekly newspapers, many which depend on the mail for distribution. CBC

Saskatchewan's weekly newspapers are scrambling to get their products out to subscribers in the wake of the Canada Post labour dispute.

Close to 90 per cent of rural newspapers rely on the mail system, which has essentially ground to a halt because 48,000 urban postal workers have been locked out.

Some papers have set up distribution centres at town offices, pharmacies and credit unions, but that doesn't necessarily help subscribers who live far away.

The Wadena News, for example, has subscribers in Regina, Saskatoon and other communities.

Alison Squires, the publisher of the Wadena News, said she normally brings a stack of addressed papers to the post office and is done with them.

Setting up a new distribution system has been a huge hassle, she said.

"It's extremely frustrating because it throws a crowbar into the whole system," Squires said, "In the meantime, our readers beyond our 40-mile radius aren't getting the paper."

Other companies are trying other strategies, including hiring Grade 12 students to deliver papers as a graduation fundraiser.

If there's a silver lining, it's that, in some cases, the lockout has actually given rural papers some extra business.

Some papers have told CBC News they're picking up more flyer business because the flyers can't be delivered through the mail.