Perrin Beatty speaks during a Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021.
“As businesses in these communities assess their long-term viability given the pandemic’s damaging effects on downtown centres, restoring normal economic activity requires the federal government to act now.” The business associations raise concerns about the future of Ottawa’s downtown, mentioning that Ottawa-Gatineau’s rate of return to the office is the lowest of any government capital in Canada.
In a statement responding to the letter, Fortier said the government is “moving from remote-by-necessity to hybrid-by design.”
So workers needs to lose money and time so others makes money out of us? Why not you and each of your fellow donate 1000 $ to these businesses?
Home or office we got your coffee break covered. Order online, flat rates for shipping.
Dumb move. How about push the cities to make it exciting to go downtown after business hours. You shouldn’t just rely on gov employees to foster business in the DT core
I would prefer a 10% reduction in pay for non commuters, as they have less work expenses, it's only fair , no transportation cost, no clothes expenses, no restaurant lunches, this adds up quickly, plus less productivity , even though they pretend they are at the desk 7.5 hrs haha
They do realized we still need to eat and spend money when we are working from home right?
Say No !!!
As someone who is a public servant and has a second job at a small downtown business: it'd be great if we can get sales up from people outside of the core. The answer isn't going back to a miserable commute and costs for transport and daycare day to day for workers.
Ok boomer
I support the businesses within 15 minutes of my home. Tell me why I should lose 2 hours of my day so I can maybe (but probably not) spend $$ in the Downton core.
If we all paid a downtown tax they would be better off. They get money for nothing, people get to make life choices without elite capitalists forcing them to work in a location they don't want to work.
I do not need to go back and will not let this guy tell me what to do. I never spent money when working downtown. The only time I did was when I bought an overpriced coffee at Starbucks, sit for 10 minutes, and dream of working from home!
This is Freshii guy on steroids
Good sales tactic. Downtown business trying to enforce and tell people where to spend their money. Even more incentive to shop local.
0 sum game here...if we go to the office to support downtown businesses, businesses in the community will then suffer. Workers are still going for lunch/coffee just in other areas of the city
How about local residents prop up their own businesses, like the rest of us do in the burbs? Its not MY responsibility to keep downtown businesses afloat. Its my responsibility to do my job effectively and I do, from home.
Here we go again with archaic thinking that we need to move thousands to a downtown location to prop up businesses in that area. Total nonsense. Now they are using 'stakeholder engagement' as a reason. These business should adapt or disappear.
After much thought, study, and deliberation, here’s my considered response to the business community on this question:🖕
No
Do as I say, not as I do.
More people will resign or retire. I know it's the feeling around me...
Great news !!! Back to the office !!
forced to work in office to feed the machine with our coin? No thanks.
But, I thought that businesses are resilient/adaptable/agile and don’t require govt handouts.
There should be a premium pay to those employees who work full-time on-site.
Sorry but why should government workers be dictated as to where they work because of outside influences? When I worked downtown, the only business that got my money was a parking lot. Businesses need to alter their operation method. Move, relocate, no one forcing them to stay.
Haha goverment wants the 'hybrid' parliament. Will the send workers back and Zoom in the HOC?
No way!
It’s time
Government workers back to the office - YES!!! This is long overdue.
The only reason these business groups are wanting a return to office is they see there cash cow evaporating
Canada's business community can evolve or go fly a kite
Just remember when a large percentage of the public service retires the replacements won’t be in Ottawa if they are remote workers. This will change the size of the public service workforce in Ottawa.
Why? Isn’t about meeting deliverables not where you sit
Another Con.
This has NOTHING to do with productivity or what's best for the Government/employer, it has everything to do with *forcing* customers to return along with their $ Be better. Adapt. Evolve.
Not going to happen.
Stop it
Funny how free enterprise only works when it benefits the owners? Working from home, More productive, happier workforce,less expensive for everyone, better for the environment....wait it hurts the big landlords and retail!!!! Everyone back to the office.
No? Aren't we serious about climate change. Why do we want long commutes. Aren't we serious about mental health? Why not allow for better work life balance.
We are so worried about being green let employees work from home pending they can do it. Less traffic on the road less emissions that’s the goal right?
Bandaid solution to a major issue that plagued downtown for yrs. Building the nation’s capital around employees is a bad business model. To ensure long-term viability, must create a livable core. Convert offices to modern home dwellings then ppl will stay past 5pm _MarkSutcliffe
Bring employees back to the office so gridlock can resume, crowds can gather, infection can spread ... as these talking heads work remotely. Right.
And what about the local businesses that I support in my community now that I work remotely? Does their success not count?
“lead the way to a return to normal.” So these heads of groups are going to endorse leading the way to a safer healthy workplace with upgraded ventilation and air safety precautions for employees across the board. Because as it was it was a cess pool of infection at these places.
I just want to know if us taxpayers are saving money on office rental space and maintenance? I'm sure we will save a lot if we fully commit to work from home and close down some of the extra offices
All of these same business organizations are advocating for improved indoor air quality, right? Right? So the customers of their members orgs can shop safely...right?
My gut response would probably get me banned as Canada doesn't like that word. How dare they. Workers' rights are being trampled all over Canada as it is. Adapt, evolve, compete or die. Don't make workers lives harder just so you can make more money.
here come all the but were more productive at home. There are few that actually are but don't tell them that.
Why? It has been proven that many are MORE productive and in fact work LONGER HOURS than at the office
They already are.
Boo hoo, maybe these people should have voiced their opinion while Federal Govt was making these heavy handed lockdown Covid policies that got us to this point of never going back to office over a 99.9+% survivable virus 🤷 Enjoy going bankrupt I guess. Trudeau sends his regards
- The vaccine was Not brought in for Covid - Covid was brought in for the Vaccine - Once you realize that - Everything else makes sense - - Playbook Davos Agenda (Lock Step) - Fabricated Crisis - Covid to Climate to Economic Collapse -
OttawaNewsPulse Seems like these businesses have failed to evolve. Sell the empty buildings and perhaps take a close look at where we can trim the ranks of the public service.
🤔 Sounds like someone is unhappy about losing money?
Why do federal employees should be responsible of to keep downtown Ottawa businesses afloat?
Get a new business model. Those days are over.
Lower productivity levels while working remotely has now been normalized for federal workers. Of course they don’t want to go back to the office 😂
Long overdue. Ridiculous. Get back to work!
Covid brought a paradigm shift. People won't work in offices to help businesses they will only if it makes sense. Traveling 1.5 hours a day for free is not smart. Nor is excess travel climate friendly. Businesses need to move to the suburbs. City buildings should be converted.
Hey disgrace CTV, you were one of the MSM that cursed unvaccinated and added fuel to the fire. We wont forget.
Just going to leave this here…
No.
Can the Nexus offices open any time soon? My application's been sitting idol for a year.
You’re gonna really upset the laptop class with this one. You’ve given them everything they’ve asked for the last two years like a spoiled child and now expect to reverse this ?
In reality if half the fed gov employees stopped doing their jobl completely no one would notice and we could save millions of dollars generated by real jobs.
Sorry? Business has a right to PS paycheques? The PS should be less efficient and cost more b/c we want to go back to the way things were? Is this really a business association saying this?
why?
People's health and productivity can take a back seat to the latte and avocado sandwich economy I guess.
Downtown Ottawa businesses struggle with Feds working from home. Who would have known. 🙄
If these entitled babies want a captive audience to sell their crap to they should be advocating for these buildings to be turned into housing.
Leave well enough alone. The current work model has proven to be effective. The majority of these employees have demonstrated they don’t need to be in a physical office to get their work done.
If a small business owner sat around for 2 years hoping everything would go back to the way they were, business ownership isn't their thing.
Yup. Get back to work.
why not sell those expensive buildings that have been proven they are not required
I guess it's time for these businesses to smell the coffee and adapt!
The only way federal workers are going back to the office is to threaten their jobs. The motivation to leave was fear, the motivation to come back must be fear.
If anyone needs to be in office… it’s the public service and govt workers
Son been waiting over 5 months to get a PAL why does it take so long now than pre Covid. The reason to send government workers back should not be to support these businesses it’s due to productivity but have yet to see any metrics that people are more or less so facts needed
Turn the real estate into housing to help tackle the housing crisis.
The business community can stay in their own lane. Public service workers don’t exist to provide a profit stream for them. If PS are forced back, I encourage them to avoid spending money at these places.
How bout no, ya freaky bastards
If that was me I would deliberately drive out of the downtown core for anything. Fuck your business.
Do these business' members rely on public transit?
Meh,it's been a great litmus test, you could toss 1/3 and it wouldn't even make a dent to the cuts required As to the 'I'm more productive at home'crowd,passport cda proves that to be a lie or as an alternative swing by an Ott area costco parking lot mid weekday
Everyone agreeing with this is like 2 years away from retiring lol. World is moving on, you should too
These dinosaurs need to d*e already
Agreed
How entitled are those businesses? The new normal is hybrid work.
Private business owners think they’re so entitled. If your business isnt working anymore it’s not everyone else’s fault. You decided to run a business, if it is hurting or failing, adapt or dissolve.
people can sit in front of a computer screen at home and do the exact same job. Saves an hour or more of commute, saves gas, saves on expensive restaurants, and the work time becomes more flexible. Improved work life balance benefits mental health. Businesses can take a hike
People don't want to go back. Save the environment stay home
Nope. If the “business community” insists on the public service being forced through the hellish pre-COVID daily commutes to support their enterprises perhaps they should look at new business models.
Most workers can be just as, if not more, productive working from home. Yes, there are some that slack. But there is no legitimate reason to force workers back to the office if productivity isn’t suffering.
Don't know why most office workers don't want to return to work on site