Federal co-working sites in the national capital region will be reallocated to four federal departments this fall to help support the four days a week in-office mandate for public servants. The federal government plans to close its GCcoworking sites in Ottawa, Gatineau and across Canada on Sept. 30, and provide the 266 workstations to federal departments to meet their space requirements. Public Services and Procurement Canada told CTV News Ottawa the GCcoworking sites in Ottawa and Gatineau will be assigned to the Department of National Defence, Employment and Social Development Canada and Public Services and Procurement Canada. Five of the 10 coworking sites across Canada will be reallocated to Public Services and Procurement Canada to accommodate public servants. “The spaces have been allocated based on operational needs and organizational demand,” a spokesperson for Public Services and Procurement Canada said. As of Sept. 30, the GCcoworking sites in Ottawa will be reassigned to: The GCcoworking site at Place du Portage in Gatineau will be reassigned to Employment and Social Development Canada. The federal government opened the co-working sites across Canada to accommodate public servants in more than 50 departments, allowing staff to return to work without heading to their office. The government says each location was IT-enabled and offers individual workstations and collaborative spaces. In July, Public Services and Procurement Canada said it would close the co-working sites and reallocate the office space to help federal organizations meet their “operational needs” as public servants spend a minimum of four days a week in the office. Five other GCcoworking sites across Canada will be assigned to other departments: Lack of space Earlier this week, the department said 10 per cent of federal public servants cannot be accommodated in the office four days a week this fall due to a shortage of office space. The department hopes to be able to accommodate 95 per cent of federal public servants in the office four days a week by March 31, 2027. “As a common service provider, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) will continue to work with organizations to optimize existing office space and provide additional accommodations where needed, as quickly as possible,” Michèle LaRose, spokesperson for Public Services and Procurement Canada, said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa. “Organizations are currently implementing the on-site presence direction based on available space. In some cases, deputy heads have phased in implementation for certain groups of employees, such as those working in buildings or regions where available space is currently insufficient.” Three federal departments told CTV News Ottawa in the spring they would be delaying the four days a week return-to-office mandate for public servants due to a lack of office space - Global Affairs Canada, Statistics Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The Department of National Defence has said workspace “may be limited” at certain buildings, and implementation of the four-day office mandate will be “managed by managers.” Both Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada have said there are a few locations where a phased approach to the return-to-office mandate would be needed.
