Federal co-working sites in Ottawa and Gatineau are now closed, as the federal government reallocates office space to departments to help support the four days a week in-office mandate for public servants. Public Services and Procurement Canada piloted GCcoworking sites across Canada to support hybrid work and unassigned seating for public servants in more than 50 departments, allowing staff to return to work without heading to their offices. The 13 GCcoworking sites included four in Ottawa and two in Gatineau. As of Sept. 30, all GCcoworking sites in Ottawa, Gatineau and across Canada are closed, with the 266 workstations allocated to federal departments to meet their space requirements. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) 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. “The spaces have been allocated based on operational needs and organizational demand,” PSPC said. Here are the departments assigned to the former GCcoworking sites in Ottawa and Gatineau. Five other GCcoworking sites across Canada will be assigned to other departments: Three GCcoworking locations previously closed across Canada, including on de la Cite Boulevard in Gatineau and on Bay Street in Toronto in June. Documents tabled in the House of Commons last week showed federal departments and agencies will spend more than $18 million to reconfigure or acquire office space to accommodate the four days a week office mandate. Full house in offices Approximately 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 government hopes to find enough office space to accommodate 95 per cent of public servants in the office four days a week by March 31, 2027. In July, Public Services and Procurement Canada issued an expression of interest to identify available office space for potential leases in the national capital region. Three federal departments delayed 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.
