Ottawa·NewThe city’s announcement comes a week after Premier Doug Ford ordered provincial government workers to return to the office full-time by the new year. Order mirrors Ontario government’s recent move to end COVID-era work-from-home arrangementCBC News · Posted: Aug 26, 2025 2:56 PM EDT | Last Updated: 30 minutes agoBy Jan. 1, 2026, all City of Ottawa employees will be required to work in the office full-time, the city announced this week. (Jean Delisle/CBC)The City of Ottawa says all of its employees will be required to work five days a week in the office starting in the new year.The city manager announced the move on Tuesday in a memo to Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and city councillors. The change will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.Currently, 85 per cent of municipal public servants are already working in-office, the city said.The city’s announcement comes a week after Premier Doug Ford ordered provincial government workers to return to the office full-time by January. Wendy Stephanson, Ottawa’s city manager, wrote in her memo that this “new standard” will help strengthen the municipality’s “organizational culture.” “Any alternative work arrangements will continue to be made in consultation between managers and their employees based on role, operational needs and available space,” she added.
City of Ottawa employees returning to the office 5 days a week starting Jan. 1
