Councillor concerned Ottawa’s transportation network can’t handle influx of federal workers in office 4 days a week

A councillor is concerned Ottawa’s transportation network won’t be able to handle new public servants in-office mandates. CTV’s Katelyn Wilson reports.

An Ottawa city councillor is raising concerns about the federal government’s return to office mandate, saying she doesn’t believe the city’s transportation network can handle an influx of federal public servants spending more time commuting to the office.

A new directive issued two weeks ago states that, as of May 4, executives will be required to work onsite five days per week. All other federal employees in the core public service will need to be in the office a minimum of four days per week, as of July 6.

• Latest information on federal public service, including notices, job cuts, return to office rules and more

The new return-to-office mandate comes weeks after the City of Ottawa required all municipal employees to be in the office five days a week, as of Jan. 1.

In her weekly newsletter, Orléans South-Navan Coun. Catherine Kitts warns that unless there is “meaningful progress” to improve transit reliability and expanding transportation infrastructure, suburban residents will be impacted by “sudden increases in mandatory commuting.”

“Workplace policies should align with the capacity of the transportation system that supports them,” Kitts said.

“Otherwise, the impact is felt not in boardrooms, but in kitchens, in lost family time, higher commuting costs, and longer days for residents.”

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Kitts said she raised concerns during the debate on the City of Ottawa’s return-to-office mandate last fall that Ottawa’s transportation infrastructure couldn’t handle an increase in commuters.

“My concern then wasn’t about productivity or accountability, and it isn’t now. It was about whether our city is physically prepared for a large, simultaneous increase in commuting,” Kitts writes.

“Let me be clear, given the growth we’ve experienced in recent years, I don’t believe our transportation network can handle it.”

Traffic congestion in east end

Kitts says Highway 174, Innes Road and Brian Coburn Boulevard are already operating “over capacity during peak periods,” and commuting options in growing suburban communities are “limited and beyond its breaking point.”

“When transit reliability falters, residents have little practical alternative but to drive,” Kitts writes.

“Even modest increases in travel demand can quickly cascade into longer commutes, congestion on local streets, and added pressure on families’ time and budgets. Your quality of life diminishes.”

The opening of the O-Train East Extension from Blair Station to Trim Station has been delayed, with testing now expected to begin in the spring. OC Transpo is currently running single-car trains on O-Train Line 1 due to a shortage of trains while a new issue with the axle bearing assembly is investigated.

“The City of Ottawa does not control federal workplace policy, but we do see firsthand how these decisions affect communities,” Kitts said.

“I will continue advocating that major employment decisions and infrastructure planning must move together, not separately. Until we have made meaningful progress improving transit reliability and expanding transportation infrastructure capacity, sudden increases in mandatory commuting will continue to land hardest on suburban residents, particularly on those in Orléans South.”

Opposition to return-to-office mandate

Kitts is the latest local politician to raise concerns about the new federal return-to-office mandate.

Kanata Liberal MP Jenna Sudds said the policy is “creating uncertainty” for public servants living her riding and wants the government to be flexible with implementing the new in-office requirements.

“Having worked in the public service, I understand the dedication, the commitment that it takes to serve Canadians in that capacity, whether they’re in the office, remote, virtual, hybrid,” Sudds said on Feb. 12.

“So, going forward, I will continue to work with you, with our government, with my national capital region colleagues, calling for meaningful flexibility as this policy is being implemented.”

Carleton MP Bruce Fanjoy called on the government to reconsider the new return-to-office (RTO) mandate, saying it will “cost the government and citizens more.”

“I believe Canada is better served by a hybrid model that balances a mix of in-office and remote work,” Fanjoy said in a statement posted to social media on Feb. 9.

“The right balance is flexible and depends on circumstances. Done well, a hybrid model reduces the cost of government and benefits workers and all Canadians.”

Fanjoy says there is “little to no evidence that a one-size-fits-all RTO policy will improve productivity or service to Canadians.”

North Grenville Mayor Nancy Peckford also criticized the government’s new office mandate, saying federal public servants living in her community will face a “daily grind of up to three hours” to travel to Ottawa for work.

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