No timeline for when public servants will be back to the office in downtown Ottawa

As public health restrictions are lifted, there’s still no specific timeline for when federal workers could be back in the office in downtown Ottawa.

Mayor Jim Watson made a plea this week for the federal government to send workers back downtown because businesses are suffering and transit ridership is low.

At Cafe Delice, the morning rush has disappeared since civil servants started working from home two years ago.

"In the good old days we had lineups out the door," said Alex Zigoumis, the cafe owner. "These days there’s no line ups because everybody is working from home."

It’s a huge hit to the pocket book as businesses struggle to survive with less foot traffic in the core.

"We are still turning over the product, but nothing close to what we were pre-pandemic," Zigoumis said.

The mayor says it’s in the city’s collective best interest to have a healthy downtown core. 

"We see every other third shop is shut down or going out of business," said Watson. "That doesn’t help the economy or the overall city."

In a letter to Treasury Board president Mona Fortier, Watson pleaded with the federal government to send its workers back to the office.

"The minister assured me that it will be a phased approach of more and more people coming back over the next several months," said Watson.

But there’s still no concrete timeline as it’s up to individual departments.

Meanwhile, Ontario public servants were ordered back to the office at least part-time by April 4 and city of Ottawa workers are starting a phased gradual return. 

"The Treasury Board's most recent announcement really just slowly opened the door for different departments to start putting together their plans,” said Alex Silas of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. "These return-to-workplace plans are really going to be done department by department, minister by minister, agency by agency and region by region."

The Public Service Alliance of Canada says some members want to return while others prefer remote work and are seeking flexibility. 

"We really believe they have a responsibility to let us know what their plans are," said Sueling Ching, president of the Ottawa Board of Trade. "I know that they have opened health restrictions and that departments are making decisions on a department basis of what’s right."

Public transit is also suffering from low ridership, and tens of millions of dollars of lost revenue after two years of the pandemic.

A motion for next week's Transit Commission meeting recommends asking the federal government to cover the cost of the deficit because of public servants working from home.

In an effort to help workplaces transition back to the office, the Ottawa Board of Trade launched a new workplace initiative in partnership with Ottawa Tourism to offer resources for workplaces.