PSAC-NCR condemns in the strongest terms the City of Ottawa and Province of Ontario’s reckless decisions to mandate that public service workers report to the office five days a week beginning January 2026 — a move best described as tone-deaf in the face of sweeping federal austerity. With the federal government unveiling deep, unprecedented budget cuts that have already triggered job losses across the public service, forcing full-time attendance is not merely ill-conceived — it’s punitive.

We all know that remote work is the future of work, and the data supports that. To demand employees return to the office every single day is to blatantly dismiss both empirical proof and real human costs. It signals a profound misalignment between decision-makers and the lived realities of workers battling a cost-of-living crisis where families are struggling to afford food and housing.

Notably, there is no credible evidence — no dip in productivity, no report of declining morale nor degraded services — to justify this regressive mandate. In fact, productivity and efficiency surged while employees worked remotely, proving the contrary.

These decisions are consistent with the records of Premier Doug Ford and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe: politicians who have repeatedly used workers as political pawns while ignoring evidence-based solutions. Ford’s hostility to remote work and Sutcliffe’s insistence on using city employees to make political points highlight a pattern of disregard for workers’ rights and community needs.

Meanwhile, federal data suggests remote work could save taxpayers $6 billion. Instead of investing in solutions that save money, reduce strain on transit and infrastructure, and allow workers to thrive, decision-makers are doubling down on costly, outdated policies.

A Call to Action

PSAC-NCR is calling on all members to take action now. Reach out directly to your elected leaders — municipal councillors, provincial representatives, and federal MPs. Tell them to support common-sense approaches that:

• deliver real savings to taxpayers,
• ease pressure on public infrastructure like roads and transit, and
• create positive impacts for workers and their communities.

Remote work is not a privilege — it’s a proven, responsible, and sustainable approach to building stronger workplaces and stronger communities. Together, we can hold leaders accountable.

In solidarity,

Ruth Lau MacDonald
Regional Executive Vice President, PSAC-NCR