Lack of vision, not office workers, is the real problem
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, alongside Premier Doug Ford, recently announced a $543-million investment in Ottawa over the next decade. Most of this funding is allocated to highways, road use and policing efforts such as a proposed police station in the Byward Market.
Although there is some funding for capital projects when it comes to transit, there is still no funding announced for transit operations, despite OC Transpo's multimillion-dollar budget deficit.
Ottawa's transit service has struggled to fully recover since the pandemic, with ridership in 2023 reaching only 66 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. This shortfall is the result of insufficient city investment and a lack of vision from all three levels of government. Yet Sutcliffe and Ford almost entirely place the blame for low transit ridership on remote work.
Meanwhile, Treasury Board President Anita Anand plans to increase mandatory in-office days for federal workers to three days a week. No unions or public servants were consulted.
Ottawa is heavily reliant on federal employment, and the pandemic prompted a re-evaluation of where and how white-collar workers should work. Ford's insistence on increased transit ridership before allocating funds overlooks the benefits of remote work, which have improved quality of life for many workers and distributed spending to other parts of the city.
Surveys have shown that office workers don't want or need to be in offices, particularly when many offices are infested with bats, bedbugs and asbestos. Plus, those offices have pivoted to a model where almost no one gets an assigned desk or a locker. Ford effectively wants federal workers to rush back to worse offices than the ones they left in 2020, with no data to back up why that would improve anyone's life or work.
Ford and Sutcliffe's rhetoric also assumes
Remote work should be prioritized over austerity measures.
that transit ridership will significantly increase if workers come to the office more. The issues and solutions, though, are a lot more complicated. Many have opted to drive and pay a fortune for parking instead of taking public transit, due to the unreliability of service. Announcements of new service cuts in last year's municipal budget and an OC Transpo “service review” that has gotten rid of several express buses from the suburbs have also played a role.
The argument for increased transit ridership serves as a distraction, however, from deeper urban-planning issues. Downtown Ottawa's post-5 p.m. desolation reflects outdated urban development strategies that prioritize office spaces over vibrant communities. The federal government, as a major landholder, holds significant influence over the city's future and must embrace progressive changes.
The recent federal budget signalled a shift toward repurposing federal buildings for housing and investing in childcare and climate initiatives. However, this was accompanied by a massive job cut of 5,000 workers on the heels of the Arrivecan outsourcing scandal, highlighting the need for a reimagining of public service structures. We don't need to fall for the old scam that cutting public sector jobs saves taxpayer money when sketchy contractors simply replace accountable public servants. Remote work should be prioritized over austerity measures, recognizing its potential to enhance worker wellbeing and urban vitality.
All that is needed is a little vision.
The trend toward remote work is evident globally, with jurisdictions such as Australia and British Columbia granting definitive remote work rights to their public servants.
The federal government has an opportunity to lead this transition while revitalizing boring urban spaces and promoting worker welfare.
Ford's disconnect from Ottawa and disregard for worker preferences undermine efforts to create a city that prioritizes health and wellbeing. Transit improvements are necessary, but not at the expense of forcing workers into outdated office models. It's time to embrace a vision of downtown Ottawa that reflects the needs and desires of residents.
A downtown shouldn't only cater to lunches and happy hours for 9-to-5ers. We have a chance to build a vibrant downtown and potentially drop that moniker of “the city that fun forgot.” Sam Hersh is the co-ordinator for Horizon Ottawa, a municipal grassroots organization that advocates for progressive local change. Nate Prier is the President of the Canadian Association Professional Employees (CAPE), representing more than 25,000 public servants across Ottawa.