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
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
Former Sask. massage therapist who sexually assaulted clients has day parole revoked
A former massage therapist who pleaded guilty to a string of sexual assaults has had his day parole revoked.