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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.