Back to the office, say the bosses
The Chamber of Commerce wants to hasten the return to the office of many workers who have been happy staying home most of the time since Covid. But a government union is fighting back.
The argument for the return isn’t that people aren’t doing their jobs. It’s that they’re not going downtown every day, buying lunches, refreshing their office wardrobes, and otherwise frittering away their money and time commuting back and forth. “La mission des professionnelles et professionnels de l’État est d’offrir des services de qualité à la population, pas d’aller grossir les bouchons de circulation et de dépenser inutilement de l’argent en essence et en stationnement,” says the union chief.
The mayor also wants people back to work in person.
steph 19:56 on 2026-01-15 Permalink
Where is the money actually being spent when it’s not spent downtown? Why does the Chamber of Commerce seem focused almost exclusively on downtown investors?
Consumer behavior has clearly shifted. Many people are shopping at places like Dix30 and supporting their local neighborhood restaurants instead. On top of that, more meals are being eaten at home, which has driven grocery profits up significantly. So who exactly is being “rescued” when we argue that people need to be pushed back into downtown spending—especially when that spending looks like $28 hamburgers at places like La Cage on Ste-Catherine?
More broadly, isn’t it healthier for society to use resources more efficiently? Less wasted time commuting, less energy spent on unnecessary transportation, and less pressure to consume things we don’t actually need. Trying to force economic activity back downtown feels a bit like forcing people onto unnecessary bus rides just to balance the STM’s budget—it addresses a financial metric, but ignores whether the behavior itself still makes sense.
Kate 20:56 on 2026-01-15 Permalink
I could not agree more, steph.
Chris 21:18 on 2026-01-15 Permalink
>Where is the money actually being spent when it’s not spent downtown?
If my circle of acquaintances is representative: Amazon.
GC 21:24 on 2026-01-15 Permalink
All the packages in my lobby suggest this, too.
Em 10:37 on 2026-01-16 Permalink
Having people work from home part of the time is also a pretty easy way to reduce emissions. Remember when politicians said they cared about that?
Ephraim 11:44 on 2026-01-16 Permalink
The same Chamber of Commerce that ripped us off with the parking meters, Bixi bikes and Tourisme Montreal? Why are we listening to these people at all?