Return-to-office becomes a key issue in Ottawa mayoral race

OTTAWA — The push by the federal and municipal governments to get staff back in the office has become a key issue in Ottawa’s mayoral race ahead of next month’s election.

Candidate Neil Saravanamuttoo said he strongly opposes the federal return-to-office mandate and he’ll demand a delay of the policy if he’s elected mayor.

“Ottawa is nowhere near ready,” Saravanamuttoo said in a video posted to social media, adding that he’d negotiate federal support for shuttle buses and transit.

Thousands of federal public servants were called back to work in the office four days a week as of July, and several municipalities, including Ottawa, have also increased workers’ required office presence.

Remote work rules have been an ongoing issue in the public service since COVID-19 forced most federal employees to work remotely in 2020.

After public health restrictions began to ease, the federal government moved in 2023 to have workers return to the office two to three days a week.

The City of Ottawa changed its policy to require its employees to be in the office five days a week as of Jan. 1, 2026. By then 85 per cent of the city’s workforce was already working on-site full time.

Mayoral candidate Jeff Leiper said in August he would drop that mandate to allow flexible work when it doesn’t “compromise public service.”

Leiper also said he would call on the federal government to reverse its four-day rule.

“If you live in Kanata, Barrhaven, Orléans or Stittsville and work for the federal government, you know what four days a week downtown really means,” his website says. “The Fallowfield park-and-ride is full by 7:15. The 417 is a parking lot at Moodie. The train from Trim Road gets you to Rideau late, if it shows up at all.

“That’s two hours a day you’re not spending with your kids, at the rink, or on your own main street.”

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who is running for reelection, has supported the return-to-office policies, arguing the federal changes have helped downtown businesses that struggled after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how (return-to-office) plans roll out,” Sutcliffe said in December 2025. “We want to see our downtown thriving and prosperous.”

The 2026 Ottawa municipal election is set for Oct. 26 and advance voting begins early next month.

Another mayoral candidate, Alex Lawson, says on his website that he doesn’t support the federal government’s policy but he’s going to be honest “about what a mayor can and can’t do about it.”

“A mayor cannot repeal a federal staffing policy,” says his website. “As mayor, I’ll put Ottawa formally on record asking the federal government to reverse the four-day mandate.

“Ottawa’s roads and transit carry the consequences of this policy. The city that hosts the workforce should have a position, on paper.”

While the candidates for mayor don’t have a direct power to decide the federal return-to-office rules, there are more than 100,000 federal workers living in Ottawa, at least five times the number of city employees.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2026.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press