OttawaKichissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper has asked council to vote on rescinding a full-time return-to-office mandate for city staff. Coun. Jeff Leiper’s motion aims to rescind order ending working from home for city staffCBC News · Posted: Sep 11, 2025 1:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 31 minutes agoKitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper opposes a full-time return-to-office mandate for city staff. (Aya Dufour/CBC)Ottawa city council is to vote on whether to implement a contentious full-time return-to-office mandate for city staff. Kichissippi Ward Coun. Jeff Leiper put forward a motion Wednesday that if passed would direct the city manager to continue allowing some municipal public servants to work from home at least some of the time. “For a lot of our professional staff who have a lot of other options in terms of where they could go, being able to work from home gives them the flexibility in their daily life that makes working for the City of Ottawa an attractive proposition,” Leiper told CBC following Wednesday’s council meeting.In August, city manager Wendy Stephanson announced that all municipal employees will be required to work five days a week in the office starting in the new year. The city’s announcement came a week after Premier Doug Ford ordered provincial government workers to return to the office full-time by January. This “new standard” would help strengthen the municipality’s “organizational culture,” Stephenson wrote in the memo announcing the move.”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. Currently, 85 per cent of municipal public servants are already working in-office, the city said.Several councillors oppose mandateSeveral other councillors have already indicated that they do not support a full-time return-to-office mandate.”The social infrastructure to support working parents still hasn’t recovered from the pandemic. Our transportation network isn’t ready for a full return-to-office either. And hybrid work improves employee health and satisfaction,” Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower wrote in a post on Facebook on Aug. 26, explaining his reasoning for opposing the city’s move. In a post on Bluesky, College Ward Coun. Laine Johnson cited a waitlist for child care as a reason against forcing all staff back to the office, and said the move is inconsistent with the city’s policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from commuting.Third, she noted downtown businesses would not directly benefit because� most municipal employees don’t work at city hall. “Studies have clearly shown that working from the office does not increase efficiency or productivity; rather, team dynamics and leadership are the most important factors, regardless of location of work,” Johnson wrote. Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Jessica Bradley seconded Leiper’s motion, which council will debate in two weeks’ time, according to Leiper.
Council to vote on return-to-office mandate for city staff
