Ottawa councillor calls on federal government to pause 4-day office mandate until Stage 2 LRT opens

An O-Train on Line 1 travels along snowy tracks. (CTV News Ottawa)

An Ottawa councillor is calling on the federal government to delay the four day a week in-office mandate for federal public servants until the O-Train East Extension opens later this year.

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat issued a new directive earlier this month, stating 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.

Orléans East-Cumberland Coun. Matthew Luloff sent a letter to Treasury Board president Shafqat Ali on Tuesday, expressing his “strong opposition” to the government’s intention to increase in-office requirements for public servants.

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Luloff is urging the government to pause any increase to the in-office requirement until Stage 2 is operational and the “transit network is in a reliable position to support additional ridership without worsening already challenging commutes.”

“For many residents, the commute already takes up to two hours one way. OC Transpo is currently facing service deficiencies that cannot be resolved overnight,” Luloff wrote.

“The Stage 2 LRT extension to the east end has been delayed and has not yet begun operation. At the same time, delays in the delivery of new electric buses means that many buses in OC Transpo’s fleet are operating well beyond their lifespan, and require more frequent maintenance.”

The O-Train East Extension was expected to open early this year, extending the east-end light-rail transit line from Blair Station to Trim Station in Orléans. Two weeks ago, OC Transpo said the 21-day trial running period “may start” in the second quarter once several items are resolved to achieve substantial competition.

OC Transpo is currently running single-car service on the O-Train Line 1, as it works to address an issue with the cartridge bearing assemblies on the Alstom Citadis Spirit Trains, which has reduced the number of trains available for service.

Luloff is the second east-end councillor to raise concerns about the ability of the transportation network to handle an influx of federal public servants in the office four or five days a week.

Last week, Orléans South-Navan Coun. Catherine Kitts warned suburban residents will be impacted by “sudden increases in mandatory commuting” unless there is “meaningful progress to improve transit reliability and expand the transportation infrastructure.”

“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 said.

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

Luloff says the City of Ottawa and the federal government “need to work in partnership,” so that “municipalities are recognized and accommodated as these issues are resolved.”

“Requiring increased on-site attendance raises expenses related to commuting, parking, childcare, and housing decisions that were made in good faith based on established work arrangements,” Luloff said.

“At a time when affordability is already under strain, these added costs matter. Remote and hybrid work arrangements have demonstrated that employees can remain productive and accountable while benefiting from greater flexibility and improved work-life balance.”

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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