Public servants yet to receive clear plan for return to workplace
As vaccination coverage continues to climb in Ottawa, there is talk about a return to the workplace for many businesses come the fall.
But Ottawa’s largest employer has yet to lay out a plan.
The federal government has provided some information and updates on a return to office buildings for public servants, but it has been limited and only on an individual department basis.
“We don’t have any real concrete answers,” said Chris Aylward, President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
“Where exactly am I going to be working in October, November, or December? Will I be home, back in the workplace? That uncertainty is causing a lot of anxiety.”
Downtown businesses suffering
The empty building across the downtown are taking a toll on surrounding businesses.
“It’s definitely been a challenging situation to be in,” said Radha Chaudhary, Executive Chef at Aiana Restaurant.
The O’Connor Street restaurant opened just before the pandemic looking to bring in business from federal workers. Their return can’t come soon enough.
“That would be significant. We’re talking about thousands and thousands of individuals coming back to work. Being right by the LRT station, it is a very high foot traffic area when the offices are in session,” said Chaudhary.
All of the uncertainty surrounding a return to in-person working in all sectors across the country has taken a toll.
A report from LifeWork’s monthly mental health index shows 25 per cent of Canadians are unclear about their employer’s plan for a return to work places.
Twelve per cent don’t believe their employer has a plan. The two groups reported the lowest mental health scores this month.
“We are finding that those Canadians who don’t have that clarity on what the return will look like, their mental health is much more compromised than those who do,” said Paula Allen, Senior Vice-President at LifeWorks.
Treasury Board not planning fixed date
In a statement to CTV News the Federal Treasury Board said, in part “Many public service employees will continue to work remotely, and effectively, for the foreseeable future. The principles of prudent, gradual and phased-in access to worksites continue to guide us, so neither an announcement nor a fixed-date approach are being considered or planned.
“The President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Digital Government both received a mandate from the Prime Minister to work with public sector unions to explore options for increasing flexibility in the work arrangements of federal employees.
“In the meantime, as with many private organizations, research is underway to determine what form post-pandemic workplace flexibility will take, including exploring options to increase flexibility in the work arrangements of federal employees.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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.
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.
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.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
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.
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.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.