Activity in downtown Ottawa at 51 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in the fall, study finds
Workers and tourists are slowly returning to downtown Ottawa, but a new study suggests activity remains at approximately half of pre-pandemic levels nearly three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A study by the University of Toronto School of Cities and University of California, Berkeley finds activity in downtown Ottawa was 51 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in the fall. That's up from 48 per cent between March and May 2022.
According to the study, called "Death of Downtown?" Ottawa ranks 45th out of 62 cities in Canada and the United States for activity in the downtown core in the September to November period, and fifth out of 10 Canadian cities.
The study measures the level of economic and social activity in a downtown core using signals from cellphone towers. To measure the level of economic and social activity, researchers aggregated mobile phone trajectory data documenting the number of visits to places of interest.
Downtown Ottawa businesses are hoping for a boost this winter as federal civil servants begin to return to the office. As of Jan. 16, federal government employees are required to work two-to-three days a week in the office after two-and-a-half years of working from home.
Salt Lake City, Utah, has the highest return to the downtown of the 62 cities surveyed, at 135 per cent, followed by Bakersfield, California and Fresno, California.
San Francisco has the lowest return to the downtown, at 31 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
"This research shows the downtowns throughout North America are recovering more slowly than the rest of the city, and that a distinct set of downtowns continue to struggle to return to pre-pandemic levels," the survey says, adding it may be time to "reinvent downtown" in large metro cities.
Researchers say factors "positively influencing recovery rates for downtowns" in the fall included lower commute times and the presence of economic sectors such as accommodation, food, health care and construction.
"To survive in the new era of remote work, downtowns will need to diversify their economic activity and land uses."
In Canada, London, Ont. has seen the highest rate of return to downtown in the country, with activity at 79 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Halifax is second at 65 per cent, followed by Toronto at 53 per cent, Edmonton at 52 per cent and Quebec City at 51 per cent.
Winnipeg's downtown is at 48 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, followed by Vancouver's downtown at 47 per cent, Montreal at 46 per cent and Calgary is at 43 per cent.
A November report by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce said Ottawa has seen a 45 per cent drop in downtown traffic, with the capital ranking 49th out of 55 cities for workers commuting into the downtown core.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.