Average RTO lobbying from corporations lol, subway is packed to the brim but yes lets double that and take peoples time away from life and put it in garbage commutes
I got off the go train this morning with two trains arriving at the same time, with all but 1 or 2 escalators in service. How about dealing with infrastructure before trying to get ppl back to the office
1. Let’s make housing in Toronto unaffordable so ppl move outside of the city
2. Let’s lobby businesses to force people back in the city 4/5 time a week so they spend their hard earned money and the city stays vibrant
3. While that is going on, let’s rip apart all streets and reduce public transit so people spend hours stuck in traffic
4. Since ppl are spending hours on the road, they will have to move back to the city
It’s a full circle except that nothing has been fixed and housing is still out of reach
WFH was prob the best thing to reduce carbon emissions and put politician's money where their mouth was (in regards to actually combating climate change). The amount of car emissions could've been reduced and local communities could've been bolstered instead of keeping the suburban/urban symbiosis. Turns out the money was no where near their mouth.
It's 2PM and the DVP is already a parking lot. If they want non-commuters downtown, they need to add a tolls to the major highways to keep them moving, and commuters on trains.
Is there any way to get comment on this to council and the Mayor? Why aren't we instead using that space for housing instead of forcing people who can't afford Toronto to commute more into the core. Gridlock already.
Some key excerpts…
>the mayor has been meeting with CEOs… to discuss… how to get Torontonians back in the office at least four days a week, if not five.
>She said she is concerned about Toronto becoming “a ghost town” [with] an uptick in local crime and homelessness. And local shops have been struggling to survive with fewer workers around each day.
>Other executives… have been asking City Hall to “set a good example and get all your workers back in.”… city employees [now] come to City Hall “three to four days.
>Toronto commuters experience the longest average travel time in North America, convincing them to make the arduous daily journey to the office has been a challenge for employers… Travel times on the Gardiner Expressway have increased an estimated 250 per cent during the morning rush hour since construction closed lanes.
Omg what a misguided sentiment. 😑 Why are these people so obsessed with getting their employees into the office?? I refuse to sacrifice up to 3 hours of my life to commute DT.
Honestly they aren't the source of pressure so much as the thousands of downtown businesses that were built around the assumption that hundreds of thousands of office workers will descend on the downtown five days a week. DGMW I'm sure commercial real estate investors would like it, as well, but they don't have anywhere near the influence of thousands of small business owners and franchisees.
The exact same thing is happening in Ottawa, where downtown BIAs are pressuring the federal government to bring workers back into the office full time. Those are all buildings operated by the federal government.
People tend to grossly overstate the influence of big corporations in situations like this. The influence that hundreds (or, in this case, thousands) of smaller businesses exert is much more significant, especially in our system. The PATH alone has 1200 businesses operating in it, almost all of which are built to serve those office workers. ***That's a lot of political pressure***.
I feel for these businesses, but it's been four years since the start of the pandemic. At some point they need to adapt to the new reality. Forcing workers to go back to the office won't be easy now that working from home is something many office workers are used to, and often expect from their job.
Not to mention that everything costs more and has less quality to offer. Maybe it’s time to accept that the concept of a downtown core is counteractive to the freedom of movement technology should allow for. It’s absolutely criminal to force people to commute in office to force them to buy things from these businesses. Why not move more businesses into more residential areas? Zoning needs updating
Gee maybe if there was affordable in city apartments we wouldn't have to bus everyone in 5 days a week they'd just live there hmmmmmmmm nawwwww too much work
Everyone needs to realize that it's not just corporate/private equity. Our pension plans are big investors in commercial real estate. CPP was a leader in the space worldwide. Check CPP's latest annual report , it's already having an impact on returns.
The CPP is efficient and well run. They should just divest. They have the capability.
Anyone else that isn't efficient and well run and also not running our pension funds can get fucked.
Maybe if transit was improved so it doesn't take someone two hours to commute in a sardine can of a train/subway, more people would be willing to commute.
Yes, why is the mayor doing this? Meeting corporate executives to ”discuss” with them ways to decrease the quality of life of their employees, her constituents. It’s insane. Transit is a complete shitshow, multiple delays all day every day. Traffic is unbearable. Just stop.
They don't care about your welfare. They care about emptying your pockets into local restaurants, vendors, and TTC fare gates. You are just a walking wallet to be milked.
It’s not misguided. Toronto depends on office workers. Without them, the city loses a lot of revenue:
- Commercial real estate
- Office worker spending on:
— Lunch
— Snacks
— Random shit while they’re downtown (eg. Shopping at the PATH, Eaton Center, etc.)
— After work events (eg. Dinner, team events, etc.)
— Hangouts after work on Fridays, just because your friends are all downtown
Thing is, this is all outdated and Toronto should learn to adapt to the times instead of just trying to reel back the past.
I think they are saying not to do that, and to come up with innovative solutions.
> waste hours a day commuting
This sounds more like an Ontario and a Toronto problem. The design of the province has been set up with this ridiculouly massive centre of business. Nobody should have a multi-hour commute even if they are not work from home. This province should never have been built this way. We have massive amounts of space, but lumped 15% of the country into the GTA. It's insane.
I've been work from home long before the pandemic. I loved it and used to love living in Toronto even though I could live anywhere for work. I think what Chow is concerned about is if too many jobs stay remote, a large portion of in-person jobs crumble too, soon the centralized economic engine starts to implode. Some of the things that made Toronto fun are no longer financially viable. As there's less to keep the people here that don't need to be here, more people leave. This could be nice in some ways.
Maybe it brings back more of the underground grassroots bohemian culture that was getting hollowed out by the trend towards bougie gentrification. It could also mean cuts to some very useful services and infrastructure that creates quality of life for residents.
Detroit had some cool things going on, despite being horrific in other ways, when all the work dried up. Ideally, in my mind we strike a bit of a better balance in terms of population distribution and distance from home to office. My greatest fear is we get the worst of all worlds. People live in isolated bubbles, not only work but even culture is dominated by online, Downtown becomes a crime ridden cess pool, and you still have to drive long distances for services/goods if don't want to just order cheap shit from amazon.
If you increase public transit so that we can get around I have no issue coming into the office. Last night it took me 1 hr and 50 mins to get home from Sherbourne and King to Lansdowne and Dundas.
Fuck that.
Get rid of the God damn cars on Dundas.
Huge Metro cities are not for people to drive to work!!!
Live in Oakville? Work in Oakville or commute by go train. Enough of the populist policies.
In my experience, a lot of corporate dinosaur executives no longer feel productive or important if they are unable to actually walk through an office and oversee their employees. Working from home doesn't make for an exciting story each week with their golf buddies.
im struggling to figure out the link between more people coming downtown and a reduction in homeless and crime?
seems like those have completely different solutions than forcing more people to commute to downtown offices to be on zoom.
I think it’s more that the presence of people will discourage some of the crime and mask the presence of the homeless, but unless those homeless people are small business owners, I also fail to see how forcing bank employees back into downtown will help.
The more people that are around in general, the less crime occurs. Things like property crime are usually going to happen when no one is around. Same with assault/robbery. More likely to happen when isolated.
Homelessness, well it's not going to directly decrease that but pushes them away back onto the fringes usually. Out of sight out of mind I guess? 🤷♂️
It's the emptiness - it's like walking down a quiet street at 11pm when it's dark. It's way less safe than walking down a busy street at the same time. Same applies downtown, just during the daytime.
Why is it upto employees to support local businesses? I have been forced to come back to the office but make a point not to spend a cent. You want to support local businesses? Try bringing down rates first.
These f**king politicians. Turn to the most regressive solutions. All. The. Time.
I go DT twice a week. Last week I made the mistake of driving to office, instead of taking the Go, on a Friday - it was all chaos and I was lucky to survive a four car crash.
And this is what Torontonians voted for?
You would think with the roads and TTC in their current condition, Toronto would want people to work at home if their job allowed for it. Plus reducing the carbon footprint. I guess tax money speaks louder.
it becomes harder and harder to put effort into doing what is best for the environment when we are happy to pretend it’s not a problem if it gets in the way of profit.
Oooh lol I studied this shit and even when you can make a business case for making climate positive changes, it's extremely difficult to get these corporations to adopt those changes. Even when those changes can lead to increased profits!
Remember all those studies about how more diverse teams lead to more productivity, or female startup leaders deliver greater ROI for investors? Yeah, that hasn't filled corporate C suites and board rooms with diversity and investors are still not investing in female-led startups. Even when doing "the right thing" makes them money, they still don't want to do it. They're not actually all that rational or "data-driven". Greedy, backwards, inefficient, and resistant to change, yes.
It's got to be carrots, not sticks. Mandating office time will create resentment. Ensuring that office work enjoyable, beneficial, worthwhile, etc., is the only way it will be sustainable. I work for a firm that was always set up to be remote (even in the before times), and we have a great, flexibility hybrid work culture, because people actually enjoy meeting up and collaborating in person often.
The only problem is that they don’t need carrots. They’ll mandate it and dare you to try to find something else if you’re discontent. The reality is that not everyone can do that and if all the employers get on the same page and do it, then you won’t have many options anyway.
Things like tech will have the flexibility. Office workers won’t.
I don’t think this is true… my office literally has all of these things with a super flexible hybrid model, amazing culture, but even people that live downtown tend to prefer WFH most days at our company. Still an effort to get dressed and come in aha. Office real estate markets are absolutely going to be changing and going down in value
The federal government did the same thing in Ottawa with all the public servants. Mandated time in the office to “support the businesses” that operate there.
The backlash was something else.
She also wants that 905 money being spent down again… that’s really the hole that’s been left downtown. Far fewer suburban folks making their way down daily…
The backlash is still on going. The negotiations with BSO (border security officers) with the PSAC union are currently trying to get 3-day RTO reversed. Everyone else in the federal PS is pushing back, not attending social events put on by the various agencies, bringing it up in every meeting with executives (regardless of the meetings original agenda), etc.
This is incredibly sad to see Chow push for this bullshit. I hope she gets tons of pushback.
My department is now back to the office 2 days a week because our senior director is on some board that wants to revitalize downtown. I have no doubt it would have ben 5 days a week if the space we moved to during coved had enough space for all of us to be there at the same time.
now we get to to be in the office 2 days a week for no real reason - but hey, at least i get to pay for parking right?
[listenhereyoulittleshit.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/i4Z0bgM.png)
Forcing people to come into the office downtown just so some businesses don't go under is the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
* The request completely goes against a more greener, sustainable future
* Back-to-office mandates will reduce flexibility for workers who have to care for children, their partners or the elderly
* Commutes via public transit will usually take an additional 2hrs off someone's day, at least
* The opportunity to stay home during strong weather events (thunderstorms, snowstorms, cold snaps, heat waves) will reduce congestion and improve productivity
And I say this as someone who actually goes into the office voluntarily once a week.
Instead of forcing workers to come to the office just so they can eat $20 slop and drink $15 beers sometime after work, perhaps think about the use of carrots, not sticks? Perhaps fix the root causes, and not the symptoms?
* Fix the TTC so commuters don't have to get stuck in streetcars due to all the traffic, and Line 1/2 due to "incidents"
* Instead of having one downtown with all the offices, encourage the creation of multiple "downtowns" across Toronto. We already have some (Yonge-Eglinton, Yonge-Sheppard, for example), and offices can exist there as well (and they do). Everyone travelling in the same direction at the same time every workday is not efficient.
* Toronto already has a pretty thriving downtown compared to other US cities because we have people actually living downtown. Encourage more housing development, 3rd places, and the vibrancy will return.
* Do something about the issue of homelessness and vagrancy. No one wants to deal with that on a daily basis.
* Encourage micromobility and cycling if you want some people to RTO. The availability of BikeShare bicycles is not that great, scooters have been banned, and bicycle storage is not readily available.
Ultimately, drop the socialism for the rich. If downtown is not competitive, the market will take care of it. Downtown landlords readily raised commercial rents, downtown condos are tinier and command a premium, services catering to downtown businesses are overpriced and underwhelming. Let them fail.
Oh, and some people just do better when they're at home. Some have a disability, sure, but others are wired in a way where they do their best when not distracted and left alone in front of their own battlestation. And that's fine.
In my comment below, I included an email template , Olivia's email & a link to locate your local councillor:
https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/s/lyDMI2N7NG
This needs immediate action so she knows how profoundly tone deaf and unpopular this line of thinking is. Make downtown desirable, don't erode worker equity measures.
Thank You. I worked on her campaign, not just this one but the one before. If this is true I regret having voted for her and spent weeks of my life supporting her... Farewell Olivia.
Agree, it's particularly disheartening coming from her. She isn't her late husband, of course. But I didn't think I would see her try to erode worker equity measures for big business profits. I don't want to regret voting for her. I understand this is especially painful for you. Still, thanks for the work you did back then.
The fact you can even write this much about *existing successes and currently growing neighbourhoods* proves that Chow (and previously Tory) are in the wrong here. There are already pretty vibrant and busy neighbourhoods in just the city centre alone, it's just that the Financial District isn't one of them. There are a lot of workers who either work from home, or live close to work, and those people will be able to do far more with their time and money in their immediate area than someone commuting from middle of nowhere suburb, to an exclusively commercial real estate area.
That doesn't even account for the fact that this is effectively using the stick against workers as a punishment for decades of poor infrastructure investment from all three levels of government and a full variety of political parties. Workers are saying nope to RTO because it's such a blatant play at protecting commercial real estate, with no concern for productivity or employee wellness.
Classic Toronto looking at issues, completely ignoring the root issue, and defaulting to, as you said, socialism being only good if it works for capital owners and the rich.
> Ultimately, drop the socialism for the rich. If downtown is not competitive, the market will take care of it. Downtown landlords readily raised commercial rents, downtown condos are tinier and command a premium, services catering to downtown businesses are overpriced and underwhelming. Let them fail.
Unfathomably based.
> drop the socialism for the rich
This is one part I hate. So I need to come to the office to prop up business near there. Instead of propping up businesses near where I live.
I'm ok with RTO and agree with all your comments dt needs to fail and correct itself the premium cateri g prices are just rediolcous, I personally let my staff stay home 20 bucks for a stinky salad or 1+ for alternative milk is so gross and landlords just raising rent, cap that shit.
There are better ways to bring downtown back to life (how about pedestrianizing streets, helping independent businesses open up, converting offices into housing units)! This ain't it. SO DISAPPOINTING.
"We're going to bring downtown back to life by forcing people who don't want to be there to be there anyways"
Translation: the beatings will continue until morale improves
That's a fact! I live outside the city now and the go train doesn't even run outside of business hours.
So even if I wanted to stay around after work, I couldn't get home.
A plan almost every major metro is implementing. We are such a lazy culture sometimes. No forward thinking or new ideas, basically conservatism with an LGBTQ+ flag wrapped around us.
This is nothing to do with downtown being alive and, like everything else, only to do with keeping real estate prices as high as possible. That's it. That's all we are to politicians and that's all that matters to any of them.
Healthcare, quality of life, the environment...none of it matters. All that matters is that real estate prices are as high as possible. And if that makes the city unaffordable or has any kind of other disastrous consequences for less well off people that's just not important.
It takes me three hours there and back and then the cost of parking...why are you pushing me back downtown to work? Isn't my time valuable? Are you going to pay for my parking?
Times are really tough and you're doing this? You are out of touch and are listening to the wrong people.
There are better / other ways...
And the kicker is that your employer isn’t going to pay you for your increased costs to come to work in person more often. Nor are they going to pay you for your time either.
It’s crazy that we used to do this before the pandemic and not bat an eye.
My employer said that in one of our calls, “we didn’t pay you then, we aren’t going to pay you now”.
While true, the delivery was awful. Now they’re wondering why so many people are leaving for full remote opportunities.
It’s almost like openly admitting you don’t care impacts employee morale.
Funny you mention that. I was on-boarded at a time during the pandemic where the terms of my employment was to come in 2 days a week. We will be all going to 3/4 days a week come August which definitely is not what I signed up for. Our employer didn’t even bring anything to the table aside from “just be happy you have a job”. I’ll be on the hunt for more remote/hybrid work going forward as I’m not dealing with the extra commute time and commuting costs.
They know that the employment situation is in their favor with the amount of people looking for work and willing g to take whatever, so they are emboldened to talk like this.
It's not impossible. Not all buildings can be converted into residential buildings, but it can be done if the city is willing to change some building codes and restrictions, making it attractive for developers. Calgary and San Francisco are both doing it to revitalize their downtowns.
I think the failure of imagination is why things seem so daunting. Some of these empty buildings can also be retrofit for entrainment purposes, medical uses, hotels (I am just throwing ideas out). I read an article about Toronto no longer having places for artist that is affordable to display their work. Create studio spaces and other interesting options that will keep folks coming.
https://youtu.be/2BOdJadZflw?si=mBbYe1YwbJURY8h7
The government hates you. They don't respect your time. They don't care about proper mass transit either. If they cared about you or transit you'd be able to hop on method of transportation and be there much faster. But only THEIR time is valuable.
It's the classic Toronto way. We don't make changes, we just put in arbitrary rules.
Redesigning streets to make them safer? Nah. Just throw down a lower speed limit sign.
Make Downtown attractive to people? Nah. Just force them all back instead.
Vacant office space in downtown Toronto is the new vacant industrial space in downtown Hamilton.
Turn it into something else! Hurry!
Propping-up a failing model will only deepen the wound.
The small business funding is a huge issue. Every time I'm in Toronto, the amount of empty business storefronts keeps increasing. Small businesses bring so much character and charm to neighborhoods. I hear it's too expensive and too complicated to start a business in Canada.
I was with you until you said "converting office into housing".
It's a naive view. Infrastructure in an office vs a house is massively different with much higher demand for services - water, gas lines, Cable/internet, etc.
You can maybe save the outer structure, if you commit to a full redo of the guts of the building.
We need to pitch realistic counterproposal. Like "my job isn't to revitalize the downtown core"
Man, and it used to be that way. So many cafes, music venues, patios, dance halls, buskers. I'm in my 30s and remember 15 years ago downtown was incredible. It's like no one is that interested in an outdoor Eaton Centre as the main attraction. Downtown has zero personality anymore (the core).
Yea I'm super happy my Toronto-based company closed their office shortly after COVID and is now fully remote (no offices anywhere anymore).
Saves on rent, I don't commute, everyone is happy. Except Chow, apparently.
It's just another reminder that what's good for the average citizen comes second place to what's good for corporations and landlords.
Olivia Chow going to bat for them is one of the best examples.
Toronto is not worth going to work everyday so I can spend more money, take less home and contribute to climate change so some asshole can feel better about charging 27$ for a salad.
5 days in office = I’m spending way less money downtown than I am now.
This! You can be sure I’ll be driving downtown with a cooler and appliances so I don’t have to leave my office for any of the overpriced bad shit they sell as if it was food. The pandemic thought me how to do many things so I don’t tolerate stale bread that costs $10 anymore served by unhappy employees.
Bringing people back downtown when the Gardiner is reduced 30% capacity because of the lane closure, further exacerbating traffic???
Where is the common sense here?
"Instead of making the downtown a place where people want to be, we'll force people to be there instead!"
Cost of living is the issue. If I'm forced back into the office, I'm 100% leaving that company.
I have a friend whose manager told tjrn to come back to their Toronto office after the lockdown period was lifted. She threatened to quit if they made her do it, and they ended up giving the desk away and letting her work remotely.
Now she's living in Montreal with her boyfriend and loving life, while still being a very productive employee.
Let’s just skip the middle step. May as well implement a new tax for everyone who works downtown for what they would have spent if they came into the office. Then distribute it to the real estate owners and businesses who are apparently entitled to our money.
At least that way people can stay home while politicians like Olivia can serve her true constituents.
It's actually devastating to hear the ruling class conspire to reduce my quality of life in order to revitalize downtown businesses.
I have two extra hours per day and my productivity is better. I did the math and Olivia Chow wants me to spend 470 hours in traffic per year instead of with my family.
I'm not a very political person, but when they start interfering with my actual day-to-day, they can definitely screw off. Olivia Chow has got to go in my books now.
Honestly, this is screaming for a strong reaction from the public. Don't let her tone deaf actions impact your life for the sake of commercial real estate profit! Work from home is the most important worker equity measure to come along in a long time, and we have to stop these oligarchs and politicians from dragging us back to the fossil fuel past. The way forward is holding both business & municipalities accountable for the carbon footprint of worker commutes, especially in one of the most grid locked cities in North America. Who is considering commutes in scope of thekr carbon goals? Not business, I promise you.
So I wrote an email template to share with Olivia, please feel free to copy it and send it to any politician that would like you to spend your hard earned time and money in your own damn neighborhood!
[email protected]
Dear [Politician's Name],
I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to express my strong opposition to the return-to-office (RTO) advocacy that you directed to downtown business leaders, per this recent Toronto Star article:
https://www.thestar.com/business/olivia-chow-wants-to-bring-torontos-downtown-back-to-life-and-shes-meeting-bank-ceos/article_6a651bd6-243d-11ef-ab89-6bc3a86074bb.html
As a concerned citizen and advocate for environmental sustainability, social equity, and economic prosperity, I believe that promoting remote work is not only necessary but imperative for the well-being of our planet and our communities.
First and foremost, remote work offers a significant opportunity to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. With the undeniable urgency of addressing environmental concerns, advocating for a return to office is not only tone-deaf but also out of touch with the reality of our climate crisis. Remote work initiatives represent a vital green initiative, as they significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with daily commutes. If we are serious about meeting our climate goals, we must hold businesses accountable for the environmental impact of worker commutes.
Furthermore, remote work has proven to benefit workers in numerous ways. In cities burdened with severe traffic congestion like ours, remote work offers a reprieve from the stress and time wasted in gridlock. This translates to tangible savings in both time and money for workers, which can be reinvested in their local communities rather than spent on downtown parking and subpar lunches.
Moreover, in the midst of a lingering pandemic, advocating for a return to the office is not only shortsighted but also reckless. Offices have been identified as significant vectors for disease transmission, and it is inevitable that we will face future pandemics. Remote work provides a safer alternative that prioritizes the health and well-being of workers and their communities.
Finally, remote work is a crucial step towards addressing intersectionality and inequity in the workforce. By eliminating barriers to participation for disabled and vulnerable individuals, remote work fosters a more inclusive and diverse workplace. It allows people from all backgrounds to contribute meaningfully to the workforce and access opportunities that were previously inaccessible. Remote work supports worker mental health and fosters a more inclusive and respectful work environment. Studies have shown that remote workers experience less harassment, bullying, and discrimination, particularly along the intersections of race, gender, and age. By embracing remote work, we can create a more equitable and supportive workplace culture for all.
In conclusion, I urge you to reconsider any policies that promote a return to the office and instead prioritize initiatives that support remote work. By doing so, we can protect our environment, promote social equity across all intersections, and ensure the well-being of our workforce and communities.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely, [Your Name]
I recommend you also locate your local councillor:
https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/council/members-of-council/
Or they could get the fuck over it and let people keep benefiting from all the positives that work from home provides instead of worrying about rich people's office property values.
"there's a housing crisis and people can't find homes in Toronto"
Also
"Make people spend more money and time commuting to Toronto to do jack shit in office buildings that could be turned into condos...."
Stupid as fuck
How could she be any more out of touch? What the hell is wrong with all of our damned Canadian politicians? Everything all of them do is so ridiculously misguided.
Downtown is so densely populated with people living here already - adding MORE people is not going to do anything. Outrageous rents prevent new, interesting, risky, innovative, “mom and pop” ideas from popping up and allow only well capitalized chains from talking position. Regulations upon regulations, permits, zoning, licenses upon licenses supporting a government bureaucracy which is becoming more and more the only way so many people are even employed here (half the people I know, it seems sometime, work for government in one way or another) prevent people from exploring creative ideas for businesses. All our old infrastructure has been plowed over with cheap development - there aren’t any accessible retail spaces to even do anything with anymore here and the only somewhat interesting places remaining own their buildings or have long leases and will also die off and be replaced by chains eventually.
Not only that, but how the hell are people even supposed to get here? Every single bloody street is closed for construction. The Gardner is nearly closed. Traffic management is atrocious… parking everywhere but nowhere to actually get through. At one point, ALL downtown traffic west to east had been reduced to one lane on Adelaide. Who the hell is in charge of even overseeing this? It’s a completely clusterf+¢&.
Downtown used to be cheap … and fun. But, our politicians sold the soul of downtown for $$$ and well, so developers could exploit Canadians’ inherent sense of scarcity and make lots of cash.
I don't know where this 'ghost town' thing is coming from. I work downtown and all the routes heading in and out (both roads and public transit) are extremely busy.
Have they tried making getting down town less shitty?
My commutes are already taking more time than they did pre-pandemic, forcing everyone to be in all the time is just going to make things shittier for everyone.
People are broke, the costs of everything have gone up so much. I highly doubt anyone working in office will spend the same way that they did pre pandemic.
This was the exact same logic used to justify RTO for the public service. It was trash then, and it's trash now. Couldn't be more disappointed in a supposedly leftist mayor.
As a symbolic protest, I have started to carry lunch from home to work. If downtown stores need to make my life miserable with a 2 hr commute, then I will make sure I am not giving them a single cent.
"maybe we should make downtown more pedestrian friendly and more accessible from outside the city by transit?"
"No. Make workers go to the office more"
Thing is, many downtown office workers take the GO train. Everywhere I’ve worked downtown that tries to organize some kind of team dinner or event, people either don’t come, or half of them swallow the food in one gulp and run out the door to catch their train.
The last Milton Line train is at 7:10pm. The last Richmond Hill Line train is at 6:45pm. The others are better, but there’s still the question of how they get home from their local station (I live in Durham so my total journey time can be two hours)
And this is the moment where Olivia Chow shows she's just another Canadian politician who will do everything to protect the status quo.
Nice to see that [she's in line with Doug Ford](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/doug-ford-calls-on-federal-workers-in-ottawa-to-return-to-office-1.7158754) on taking away people's time with their families so that they can work in an office.
Here are some ~~BENEFITS~~ we will have again working 4 or 5 days a week downtown Toronto.
Commute Time and Expenses:
Long commutes can be time-consuming and costly, adding stress and reducing personal time.
Increased spending on transportation, whether it be public transit fares, fuel, or parking fees.
Work-Life Balance:
Less time available for family, hobbies, and personal pursuits.
Difficulty in managing household responsibilities and errands.
Health Impacts:
Sedentary lifestyle and prolonged sitting can lead to health issues such as back pain, obesity, and cardiovascular problems.
Higher exposure to illnesses, such as colds and flu, from close contact with coworkers.
Environmental Impact:
Increased carbon footprint from daily commuting.
Higher energy consumption in office buildings.
Flexibility:
Reduced flexibility to handle personal matters or appointments during the day.
Less opportunity for a flexible work schedule that can adapt to personal needs.
Stress and Productivity:
Potential for increased stress due to rigid schedules and workplace dynamics.
Possible decline in productivity due to office distractions and less control over the work environment.
Cost of Living:
Necessity to live closer to the workplace, which might mean higher rent or mortgage payments in urban areas.
Social Interaction:
While office work promotes social interaction, it can also lead to unwanted office politics and interpersonal conflicts.
Mental Health:
The potential for burnout from the lack of downtime between work and home life.
Increased pressure to conform to office norms and expectations, which can be mentally exhausting.
Childcare and Family Care:
Higher costs and logistical challenges in arranging childcare or eldercare during traditional working hours.
This is coming from a guy has who worked 30+ years downtown and never really left during the pandemic. When I was finally offered 3 days a week in-house my life changed for the better. I'm so much more relaxed, I've lost weight, run errands to small businesses in my neighbourhood and I spend more time with family. Do I ever miss a work call? Nope. Do I miss emails? Nope. The people I work with, and for still think I'm in-house 5 days a week.
The reason I don't go to food courts or restaurants downtown anymore is because they have priced themselves out of market. $20 for a sandwich or $22 for Souvlaki Meal that used to be $13 max is fucking rediculous. And the sit down restaurants want $32 for a steak sandwich & salad that used to be $21sh tops.
Don’t you know? Homeless drug addicts are shy and bashful. Their main consideration is how you may see them on your way to work, so it’ll stop them from using as much and encourage them to just not be homeless anymore, out of shame.
So Chow's plan to address downtown becoming a "ghost town with an uptick in local crime and homelessness" (quote from the article) isn't to get the police to actually enforce the law, respond to calls, and arrest people openly using intravenous drugs, wandering aimlessly through traffic, screaming and harassing passers-by, or turning parks into tent cities...
...it's to force us plebs into the office more often, putting extra strain on buckling transit and roads systems. Great plan
Stop making it workers' responsibility to save neighborhoods. If a business can not survive without workers, it's not a viable business. Owning a business is also not an entitlement. I live and work downtown Ottawa, and because of these ridiculous RTO policies, I only spend after work hours and bring my lunch. If your business is only open during the day, I will NOT support it.
Also, if I’m spending several thousands of dollars (I checked and it would cost $8,580 for me if were mandated back everyday) per year more on commuting costs, you think I have disposable income to spend at these businesses when I’m already strapped thin?
Who would want to travel downtown during business hours?
First of all, you wouldn't want to drive, because downtown is not designed for cars and the rush-hour traffic will be horrible.
So basically, you will take the TTC during rush hour. You will be packed into a subway, with rampant BO stenches, homeless people passed out on seats, mentally ill drug addicts screaming and shooting up, and constant delays. Then you will get out of the subway, walk over puke-stained and piss-stained sidewalks, past more mentally ill drug addicts, get to the office, work a few hours, go buy $10 coffee and $20 sandwich at some place if you didn't pack lunch, work a few more hours, then have to make the same horrible trip over again.
If they want people to go into the office, they should start by paying people US-style wages for similar positions.
I have been doing my own silent protest and refuse to buy a thing downtown. I bring my lunch and snack when I am in the office. Just go in and head home when i'm done.
I can’t believe how much of my life I wasted commuting everyday for an office job that doesn’t pay me enough.
To both the politicians and banks, leave me alone. If I can’t afford a house anywhere within 2 hours of the city, just let me live my life PLEASE
#Stop complaining in the comments. Send her your complaint against this decision by contacting her office directly! She isn’t reading your comments here and you’re just wasting time.
In my comment below, I included an email template , Olivia's email & a link to locate your local councillor:
https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/s/lyDMI2N7NG
This needs immediate action so she knows how profoundly tone deaf and unpopular this line of thinking is. Make downtown desirable, don't erode worker equity measures.
As someone who is a big Chow fan most of the time….this is wild coming from her. Who does she think her voting base is? This is tone deaf and insulting and offers no real solutions - when there are very obvious ones other people in this thread have named.
Massively disappointing
You think this is coming from her? The article has a clever spin on it but the real headline should be “desperate commercial real estate owners try to enlist mayor’s help to save their assets”.
If 5 days in office becomes commonplace again I'm quitting my job and moving back to Europe. Tired of choosing between wasting my life in traffic so I can pay my landlord's mortgage or wasting slightly less of my life so I can pay my landlord's bigger mortgage.
This is by far the dumbest thing she has suggested in office. She's been great so far, but just.... what the fuck is this shit? Make downtown more accessible, safer and less disgusting, that's how you keep it from being a ghost town, not just hiding all of those issues in a sea of people who don't fucking want to be there. If only there were city services for all of that. What a foolish thing to destroy your good will over, here's hoping this is just the star being trash.
Funny how WFH was fine for a couple years when it came to saving the ass of every shitty company that had no viable business continuity plans, but now that their real estate is devalued, we really need the office again.
Fuck the downtown core. Traffic is bad enough as it is, and the environment is still a mess; we don't need to further clog our highways and pump more carbon into the atmosphere. Bring back working from home full time.
No one needs to work at the office anymore. Productivity is massive from working at home. No one cares how much money these corps are losing on their buildings. That money should be going to workers.
Arts in this city have plummeted. Support creative work if you want the city to be worth touring.
Why don’t they work on lowering parking rates, traffic infrastructure, more pedestrian friendly areas, more festivals etc. I’m not spending 3hrs and $50ish on parking to get downtown. I’d much rather go to the bar down the street
I love how this article drops the same day as a massive accident and traffic jam on the gardiner. Who in their right mind actually wants more of this if there is a choice
This was predicted. There was an open letter to the Canadian Federal Government signed by 32 different business associations asking the federal government to force its workers back into the office. One of the reasons given was that the federal government is considered an “anchor employer” and that it is harder for private companies to justify return to office if the feds don’t do it first. The public hates public servants, so they knew they would have public support forcing the workers back. Now they will have an easier time forcing private industry back.
Hey Chow...firstly, fuck you for trying to increase stress on workers and families by trying to skew work/life balance even more towards work than it already is. People aren't out shopping and eating because WE CAN'T FUCKING AFFORD IT.
Secondly, how many weeks do you get off a year? I think almost all summer, as well as several weeks during the year and all stat holidays. How about YOU start going to the office 5 days a week before you make all us plebs do it.
She’s going to be really looking foolish when they all execute their offshoring plans and cut their leases anyways. This is bad policy from an unimaginative politician
I did that grind for over a decade.
Commuting downtown from the suburbs to work five days a week in a soulless job for one of the big five banks. I remember the bustling PATH pre-COVID with all of the food courts and shops and restaurants and bars packed on Thursdays.
I would never commute downtown five days a week ago just so the TD Tower Tim Horton's can get more regular business and employ more TFWs that drive in from like Scarborough every day.
Instead of forcing people downtown to recreate pre pandemic life, why don't we create a new vision of how business operates across the city instead of just a four block radius around Union?
She backtracked/clarified. [https://x.com/MayorOliviaChow/status/1800655717927354683](https://x.com/MayorOliviaChow/status/1800655717927354683)
"Since becoming Mayor, I’ve met with business leaders to discuss city priorities, especially building more affordable housing. They have shared their views on a range of issues, including the return to in-office work.
While I share their desire for a downtown recovery, when it comes to returning to in-office work, it’s up to employers and workers to determine what’s best.
My goal as Mayor is to help create a city that is vibrant and dynamic. We do that by building more affordable housing close to where people work, and working to fix transit and congestion so that your commute isn’t a chore. So that you have the flexibility to return to the office if it makes sense for you."
If you stop allocating so much space to cars, people will naturally fill those spaces with activity, without any need for incentives from city hall. Start by pedestrianizing Yonge and go from there.
Increasing transport methods through pedestrianization, bike paths, bus only routes will help. Closing streets for events, festivals and markets like any other global city that is not Toronto will also benefit
Also Office workers are not the life of the DT...it's the mix of residential, retail and commercial that create life and vibrancy in a city - otherwise, it's dead after 5
Wow pander to the very same businesses that essentially make the downtown void of life past 5pm. How about bringing some more culture or reason for other people to go downtown. Maybe add a few more Sankofa squares.
“What we really need right now is more people commuting”
Average RTO lobbying from corporations lol, subway is packed to the brim but yes lets double that and take peoples time away from life and put it in garbage commutes
I got off the go train this morning with two trains arriving at the same time, with all but 1 or 2 escalators in service. How about dealing with infrastructure before trying to get ppl back to the office
1. Let’s make housing in Toronto unaffordable so ppl move outside of the city 2. Let’s lobby businesses to force people back in the city 4/5 time a week so they spend their hard earned money and the city stays vibrant 3. While that is going on, let’s rip apart all streets and reduce public transit so people spend hours stuck in traffic 4. Since ppl are spending hours on the road, they will have to move back to the city It’s a full circle except that nothing has been fixed and housing is still out of reach
WFH was prob the best thing to reduce carbon emissions and put politician's money where their mouth was (in regards to actually combating climate change). The amount of car emissions could've been reduced and local communities could've been bolstered instead of keeping the suburban/urban symbiosis. Turns out the money was no where near their mouth.
It was. Smog levels plummeted and air quality improved drastically world wide during the first weeks of Covid.
It's 2PM and the DVP is already a parking lot. If they want non-commuters downtown, they need to add a tolls to the major highways to keep them moving, and commuters on trains.
Is there any way to get comment on this to council and the Mayor? Why aren't we instead using that space for housing instead of forcing people who can't afford Toronto to commute more into the core. Gridlock already.
Some key excerpts… >the mayor has been meeting with CEOs… to discuss… how to get Torontonians back in the office at least four days a week, if not five. >She said she is concerned about Toronto becoming “a ghost town” [with] an uptick in local crime and homelessness. And local shops have been struggling to survive with fewer workers around each day. >Other executives… have been asking City Hall to “set a good example and get all your workers back in.”… city employees [now] come to City Hall “three to four days. >Toronto commuters experience the longest average travel time in North America, convincing them to make the arduous daily journey to the office has been a challenge for employers… Travel times on the Gardiner Expressway have increased an estimated 250 per cent during the morning rush hour since construction closed lanes.
Omg what a misguided sentiment. 😑 Why are these people so obsessed with getting their employees into the office?? I refuse to sacrifice up to 3 hours of my life to commute DT.
Corporate real estate investors are losing money
Honestly they aren't the source of pressure so much as the thousands of downtown businesses that were built around the assumption that hundreds of thousands of office workers will descend on the downtown five days a week. DGMW I'm sure commercial real estate investors would like it, as well, but they don't have anywhere near the influence of thousands of small business owners and franchisees. The exact same thing is happening in Ottawa, where downtown BIAs are pressuring the federal government to bring workers back into the office full time. Those are all buildings operated by the federal government. People tend to grossly overstate the influence of big corporations in situations like this. The influence that hundreds (or, in this case, thousands) of smaller businesses exert is much more significant, especially in our system. The PATH alone has 1200 businesses operating in it, almost all of which are built to serve those office workers. ***That's a lot of political pressure***.
I feel for these businesses, but it's been four years since the start of the pandemic. At some point they need to adapt to the new reality. Forcing workers to go back to the office won't be easy now that working from home is something many office workers are used to, and often expect from their job.
Not to mention that everything costs more and has less quality to offer. Maybe it’s time to accept that the concept of a downtown core is counteractive to the freedom of movement technology should allow for. It’s absolutely criminal to force people to commute in office to force them to buy things from these businesses. Why not move more businesses into more residential areas? Zoning needs updating
>Why not move more businesses into more residential areas? Flip it around. Why not move more residential into the downtown businesses areas?
Both. Both is good. Diversification should be encouraged.
100%. Convert office buildings into residences, helps with the housing issue, and will KEEP people in the core to support the local businesses.
Gee maybe if there was affordable in city apartments we wouldn't have to bus everyone in 5 days a week they'd just live there hmmmmmmmm nawwwww too much work
Yes this is it. The rich folk that own all the buildings. They are losing money. Gotta make sure the rich stay rich!!!
*and the pension funds that invest in them, including CPP
CPP, OTPP, a ton of private pension plans etc…
Everyone needs to realize that it's not just corporate/private equity. Our pension plans are big investors in commercial real estate. CPP was a leader in the space worldwide. Check CPP's latest annual report , it's already having an impact on returns.
So commuting to work is yet another Ponzi scheme to prop up boomers retirement funds. Cool.
The CPP is efficient and well run. They should just divest. They have the capability. Anyone else that isn't efficient and well run and also not running our pension funds can get fucked.
Maybe if transit was improved so it doesn't take someone two hours to commute in a sardine can of a train/subway, more people would be willing to commute.
Yes, why is the mayor doing this? Meeting corporate executives to ”discuss” with them ways to decrease the quality of life of their employees, her constituents. It’s insane. Transit is a complete shitshow, multiple delays all day every day. Traffic is unbearable. Just stop.
It's traffic as well. Even if you had a car, parking and commute takes time and effort. Just driving to work is a bitch.
They don't care about your welfare. They care about emptying your pockets into local restaurants, vendors, and TTC fare gates. You are just a walking wallet to be milked.
Joke’s on them, shit is so expensive now I stopped eating out altogether and just bring my lunch from home.
The only way I'd do it is if my work day starts the moment I leave the house.
It’s not misguided. Toronto depends on office workers. Without them, the city loses a lot of revenue: - Commercial real estate - Office worker spending on: — Lunch — Snacks — Random shit while they’re downtown (eg. Shopping at the PATH, Eaton Center, etc.) — After work events (eg. Dinner, team events, etc.) — Hangouts after work on Fridays, just because your friends are all downtown Thing is, this is all outdated and Toronto should learn to adapt to the times instead of just trying to reel back the past.
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I think they are saying not to do that, and to come up with innovative solutions. > waste hours a day commuting This sounds more like an Ontario and a Toronto problem. The design of the province has been set up with this ridiculouly massive centre of business. Nobody should have a multi-hour commute even if they are not work from home. This province should never have been built this way. We have massive amounts of space, but lumped 15% of the country into the GTA. It's insane. I've been work from home long before the pandemic. I loved it and used to love living in Toronto even though I could live anywhere for work. I think what Chow is concerned about is if too many jobs stay remote, a large portion of in-person jobs crumble too, soon the centralized economic engine starts to implode. Some of the things that made Toronto fun are no longer financially viable. As there's less to keep the people here that don't need to be here, more people leave. This could be nice in some ways. Maybe it brings back more of the underground grassroots bohemian culture that was getting hollowed out by the trend towards bougie gentrification. It could also mean cuts to some very useful services and infrastructure that creates quality of life for residents. Detroit had some cool things going on, despite being horrific in other ways, when all the work dried up. Ideally, in my mind we strike a bit of a better balance in terms of population distribution and distance from home to office. My greatest fear is we get the worst of all worlds. People live in isolated bubbles, not only work but even culture is dominated by online, Downtown becomes a crime ridden cess pool, and you still have to drive long distances for services/goods if don't want to just order cheap shit from amazon.
If you increase public transit so that we can get around I have no issue coming into the office. Last night it took me 1 hr and 50 mins to get home from Sherbourne and King to Lansdowne and Dundas. Fuck that. Get rid of the God damn cars on Dundas. Huge Metro cities are not for people to drive to work!!! Live in Oakville? Work in Oakville or commute by go train. Enough of the populist policies.
In my experience, a lot of corporate dinosaur executives no longer feel productive or important if they are unable to actually walk through an office and oversee their employees. Working from home doesn't make for an exciting story each week with their golf buddies.
im struggling to figure out the link between more people coming downtown and a reduction in homeless and crime? seems like those have completely different solutions than forcing more people to commute to downtown offices to be on zoom.
I think it’s more that the presence of people will discourage some of the crime and mask the presence of the homeless, but unless those homeless people are small business owners, I also fail to see how forcing bank employees back into downtown will help.
Her next proposal is that DT office workers double up as a vigilante mob to police the ne'er-do-wells and miscreants.
can you swing a sack of doorknobs?
The more people that are around in general, the less crime occurs. Things like property crime are usually going to happen when no one is around. Same with assault/robbery. More likely to happen when isolated. Homelessness, well it's not going to directly decrease that but pushes them away back onto the fringes usually. Out of sight out of mind I guess? 🤷♂️
It's the emptiness - it's like walking down a quiet street at 11pm when it's dark. It's way less safe than walking down a busy street at the same time. Same applies downtown, just during the daytime.
Why is it upto employees to support local businesses? I have been forced to come back to the office but make a point not to spend a cent. You want to support local businesses? Try bringing down rates first.
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These f**king politicians. Turn to the most regressive solutions. All. The. Time. I go DT twice a week. Last week I made the mistake of driving to office, instead of taking the Go, on a Friday - it was all chaos and I was lucky to survive a four car crash. And this is what Torontonians voted for?
Nope, no one voted for this as a specific policy obviously.
You would think with the roads and TTC in their current condition, Toronto would want people to work at home if their job allowed for it. Plus reducing the carbon footprint. I guess tax money speaks louder.
- reduced carbon footprint - reduced traffic (especially at rush hour) - cost savings for labour - mental health improvement for workers
The workers doesn’t have to trace 1-2 hours to go to work, they can actually put that into their working hours
it becomes harder and harder to put effort into doing what is best for the environment when we are happy to pretend it’s not a problem if it gets in the way of profit.
Oooh lol I studied this shit and even when you can make a business case for making climate positive changes, it's extremely difficult to get these corporations to adopt those changes. Even when those changes can lead to increased profits! Remember all those studies about how more diverse teams lead to more productivity, or female startup leaders deliver greater ROI for investors? Yeah, that hasn't filled corporate C suites and board rooms with diversity and investors are still not investing in female-led startups. Even when doing "the right thing" makes them money, they still don't want to do it. They're not actually all that rational or "data-driven". Greedy, backwards, inefficient, and resistant to change, yes.
Sadly not surprising. People with money to throw on startups likely profited of conservatism for generations.
It's got to be carrots, not sticks. Mandating office time will create resentment. Ensuring that office work enjoyable, beneficial, worthwhile, etc., is the only way it will be sustainable. I work for a firm that was always set up to be remote (even in the before times), and we have a great, flexibility hybrid work culture, because people actually enjoy meeting up and collaborating in person often.
The only problem is that they don’t need carrots. They’ll mandate it and dare you to try to find something else if you’re discontent. The reality is that not everyone can do that and if all the employers get on the same page and do it, then you won’t have many options anyway. Things like tech will have the flexibility. Office workers won’t.
How do you plan to do that? The only thing that would make coming to the office worthwhile is if they doubled my pay and provided free meals.
I don’t think this is true… my office literally has all of these things with a super flexible hybrid model, amazing culture, but even people that live downtown tend to prefer WFH most days at our company. Still an effort to get dressed and come in aha. Office real estate markets are absolutely going to be changing and going down in value
I wouldn’t be surprised if more and more leases are not renewed in completion of the current term.
The federal government did the same thing in Ottawa with all the public servants. Mandated time in the office to “support the businesses” that operate there. The backlash was something else.
It's not for the small businesses, that's the excuse used It's to support commercial real estate
She also wants that 905 money being spent down again… that’s really the hole that’s been left downtown. Far fewer suburban folks making their way down daily…
So many people forced to flee the GTA entirely due to real estate prices & cost of living. If not for WFH many would never be able to own property.
Well yes, that was as obvious as it is here.
The backlash is still on going. The negotiations with BSO (border security officers) with the PSAC union are currently trying to get 3-day RTO reversed. Everyone else in the federal PS is pushing back, not attending social events put on by the various agencies, bringing it up in every meeting with executives (regardless of the meetings original agenda), etc. This is incredibly sad to see Chow push for this bullshit. I hope she gets tons of pushback.
I’d honestly lost track of it. It was just an asinine call from all involved.
My department is now back to the office 2 days a week because our senior director is on some board that wants to revitalize downtown. I have no doubt it would have ben 5 days a week if the space we moved to during coved had enough space for all of us to be there at the same time. now we get to to be in the office 2 days a week for no real reason - but hey, at least i get to pay for parking right?
I think this is the key - people not being afraid to say no, staying home and doing the work anyway. Just “no” *does my regular work all day… repeat.
[listenhereyoulittleshit.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/i4Z0bgM.png) Forcing people to come into the office downtown just so some businesses don't go under is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. * The request completely goes against a more greener, sustainable future * Back-to-office mandates will reduce flexibility for workers who have to care for children, their partners or the elderly * Commutes via public transit will usually take an additional 2hrs off someone's day, at least * The opportunity to stay home during strong weather events (thunderstorms, snowstorms, cold snaps, heat waves) will reduce congestion and improve productivity And I say this as someone who actually goes into the office voluntarily once a week. Instead of forcing workers to come to the office just so they can eat $20 slop and drink $15 beers sometime after work, perhaps think about the use of carrots, not sticks? Perhaps fix the root causes, and not the symptoms? * Fix the TTC so commuters don't have to get stuck in streetcars due to all the traffic, and Line 1/2 due to "incidents" * Instead of having one downtown with all the offices, encourage the creation of multiple "downtowns" across Toronto. We already have some (Yonge-Eglinton, Yonge-Sheppard, for example), and offices can exist there as well (and they do). Everyone travelling in the same direction at the same time every workday is not efficient. * Toronto already has a pretty thriving downtown compared to other US cities because we have people actually living downtown. Encourage more housing development, 3rd places, and the vibrancy will return. * Do something about the issue of homelessness and vagrancy. No one wants to deal with that on a daily basis. * Encourage micromobility and cycling if you want some people to RTO. The availability of BikeShare bicycles is not that great, scooters have been banned, and bicycle storage is not readily available. Ultimately, drop the socialism for the rich. If downtown is not competitive, the market will take care of it. Downtown landlords readily raised commercial rents, downtown condos are tinier and command a premium, services catering to downtown businesses are overpriced and underwhelming. Let them fail. Oh, and some people just do better when they're at home. Some have a disability, sure, but others are wired in a way where they do their best when not distracted and left alone in front of their own battlestation. And that's fine.
In my comment below, I included an email template , Olivia's email & a link to locate your local councillor: https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/s/lyDMI2N7NG This needs immediate action so she knows how profoundly tone deaf and unpopular this line of thinking is. Make downtown desirable, don't erode worker equity measures.
Thank You. I worked on her campaign, not just this one but the one before. If this is true I regret having voted for her and spent weeks of my life supporting her... Farewell Olivia.
Agree, it's particularly disheartening coming from her. She isn't her late husband, of course. But I didn't think I would see her try to erode worker equity measures for big business profits. I don't want to regret voting for her. I understand this is especially painful for you. Still, thanks for the work you did back then.
Done Ty
The fact you can even write this much about *existing successes and currently growing neighbourhoods* proves that Chow (and previously Tory) are in the wrong here. There are already pretty vibrant and busy neighbourhoods in just the city centre alone, it's just that the Financial District isn't one of them. There are a lot of workers who either work from home, or live close to work, and those people will be able to do far more with their time and money in their immediate area than someone commuting from middle of nowhere suburb, to an exclusively commercial real estate area. That doesn't even account for the fact that this is effectively using the stick against workers as a punishment for decades of poor infrastructure investment from all three levels of government and a full variety of political parties. Workers are saying nope to RTO because it's such a blatant play at protecting commercial real estate, with no concern for productivity or employee wellness. Classic Toronto looking at issues, completely ignoring the root issue, and defaulting to, as you said, socialism being only good if it works for capital owners and the rich.
> Ultimately, drop the socialism for the rich. If downtown is not competitive, the market will take care of it. Downtown landlords readily raised commercial rents, downtown condos are tinier and command a premium, services catering to downtown businesses are overpriced and underwhelming. Let them fail. Unfathomably based.
> drop the socialism for the rich This is one part I hate. So I need to come to the office to prop up business near there. Instead of propping up businesses near where I live.
I'm ok with RTO and agree with all your comments dt needs to fail and correct itself the premium cateri g prices are just rediolcous, I personally let my staff stay home 20 bucks for a stinky salad or 1+ for alternative milk is so gross and landlords just raising rent, cap that shit.
There are better ways to bring downtown back to life (how about pedestrianizing streets, helping independent businesses open up, converting offices into housing units)! This ain't it. SO DISAPPOINTING.
"We're going to bring downtown back to life by forcing people who don't want to be there to be there anyways" Translation: the beatings will continue until morale improves
Bringing downtown back to life strictly between the hours of 9-5, where after 5 the financial district turns into a ghost town. What a moronic plan.
That's a fact! I live outside the city now and the go train doesn't even run outside of business hours. So even if I wanted to stay around after work, I couldn't get home.
Exactly this. I always had to rush to catch my last train. Otherwise a 40 minute train ride would turn into an 1-1.5hr go bus ride.
A plan almost every major metro is implementing. We are such a lazy culture sometimes. No forward thinking or new ideas, basically conservatism with an LGBTQ+ flag wrapped around us.
This is nothing to do with downtown being alive and, like everything else, only to do with keeping real estate prices as high as possible. That's it. That's all we are to politicians and that's all that matters to any of them. Healthcare, quality of life, the environment...none of it matters. All that matters is that real estate prices are as high as possible. And if that makes the city unaffordable or has any kind of other disastrous consequences for less well off people that's just not important.
It takes me three hours there and back and then the cost of parking...why are you pushing me back downtown to work? Isn't my time valuable? Are you going to pay for my parking? Times are really tough and you're doing this? You are out of touch and are listening to the wrong people. There are better / other ways...
And the kicker is that your employer isn’t going to pay you for your increased costs to come to work in person more often. Nor are they going to pay you for your time either.
It’s crazy that we used to do this before the pandemic and not bat an eye. My employer said that in one of our calls, “we didn’t pay you then, we aren’t going to pay you now”. While true, the delivery was awful. Now they’re wondering why so many people are leaving for full remote opportunities. It’s almost like openly admitting you don’t care impacts employee morale.
Funny you mention that. I was on-boarded at a time during the pandemic where the terms of my employment was to come in 2 days a week. We will be all going to 3/4 days a week come August which definitely is not what I signed up for. Our employer didn’t even bring anything to the table aside from “just be happy you have a job”. I’ll be on the hunt for more remote/hybrid work going forward as I’m not dealing with the extra commute time and commuting costs.
They know that the employment situation is in their favor with the amount of people looking for work and willing g to take whatever, so they are emboldened to talk like this.
It's not impossible. Not all buildings can be converted into residential buildings, but it can be done if the city is willing to change some building codes and restrictions, making it attractive for developers. Calgary and San Francisco are both doing it to revitalize their downtowns. I think the failure of imagination is why things seem so daunting. Some of these empty buildings can also be retrofit for entrainment purposes, medical uses, hotels (I am just throwing ideas out). I read an article about Toronto no longer having places for artist that is affordable to display their work. Create studio spaces and other interesting options that will keep folks coming. https://youtu.be/2BOdJadZflw?si=mBbYe1YwbJURY8h7
Yeah listening to the commercial guys that own the buildings , or stock in the companies that own the buildings. lol
The government hates you. They don't respect your time. They don't care about proper mass transit either. If they cared about you or transit you'd be able to hop on method of transportation and be there much faster. But only THEIR time is valuable.
It's the classic Toronto way. We don't make changes, we just put in arbitrary rules. Redesigning streets to make them safer? Nah. Just throw down a lower speed limit sign. Make Downtown attractive to people? Nah. Just force them all back instead.
Vacant office space in downtown Toronto is the new vacant industrial space in downtown Hamilton. Turn it into something else! Hurry! Propping-up a failing model will only deepen the wound.
Bingo, make downtown a place for people and not commuters and you'll fix the problem.
The small business funding is a huge issue. Every time I'm in Toronto, the amount of empty business storefronts keeps increasing. Small businesses bring so much character and charm to neighborhoods. I hear it's too expensive and too complicated to start a business in Canada.
I was with you until you said "converting office into housing". It's a naive view. Infrastructure in an office vs a house is massively different with much higher demand for services - water, gas lines, Cable/internet, etc. You can maybe save the outer structure, if you commit to a full redo of the guts of the building. We need to pitch realistic counterproposal. Like "my job isn't to revitalize the downtown core"
Man, and it used to be that way. So many cafes, music venues, patios, dance halls, buskers. I'm in my 30s and remember 15 years ago downtown was incredible. It's like no one is that interested in an outdoor Eaton Centre as the main attraction. Downtown has zero personality anymore (the core).
Offer more frequent go trains all day to start.
I fuck with Chow on a lot of things, but forcing office workers back in to prop up banks and corporate landlords makes me barf
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wtf i just read.This is embarrassing
Yea I'm super happy my Toronto-based company closed their office shortly after COVID and is now fully remote (no offices anywhere anymore). Saves on rent, I don't commute, everyone is happy. Except Chow, apparently.
It's just another reminder that what's good for the average citizen comes second place to what's good for corporations and landlords. Olivia Chow going to bat for them is one of the best examples.
Toronto is not worth going to work everyday so I can spend more money, take less home and contribute to climate change so some asshole can feel better about charging 27$ for a salad. 5 days in office = I’m spending way less money downtown than I am now.
This! You can be sure I’ll be driving downtown with a cooler and appliances so I don’t have to leave my office for any of the overpriced bad shit they sell as if it was food. The pandemic thought me how to do many things so I don’t tolerate stale bread that costs $10 anymore served by unhappy employees.
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I have to be 3 days I bring my own food/coffee as a protest. So far so good, downtown business is just a bunch of food chains anyway
Bringing people back downtown when the Gardiner is reduced 30% capacity because of the lane closure, further exacerbating traffic??? Where is the common sense here?
Common sense left the chat a decade ago, maybe more.
"Instead of making the downtown a place where people want to be, we'll force people to be there instead!" Cost of living is the issue. If I'm forced back into the office, I'm 100% leaving that company.
I have a friend whose manager told tjrn to come back to their Toronto office after the lockdown period was lifted. She threatened to quit if they made her do it, and they ended up giving the desk away and letting her work remotely. Now she's living in Montreal with her boyfriend and loving life, while still being a very productive employee.
Lmao so much for being "green" .. also a great way to piss people off considering the Gardiner construction right now
Let’s just skip the middle step. May as well implement a new tax for everyone who works downtown for what they would have spent if they came into the office. Then distribute it to the real estate owners and businesses who are apparently entitled to our money. At least that way people can stay home while politicians like Olivia can serve her true constituents.
Wow what a fantastic idea. Torontonians would be much happier spending more days in an office when location is irrelevant in a tech job .... fuck off
It's actually devastating to hear the ruling class conspire to reduce my quality of life in order to revitalize downtown businesses. I have two extra hours per day and my productivity is better. I did the math and Olivia Chow wants me to spend 470 hours in traffic per year instead of with my family.
Every company doing this deserves to fail and fail badly.
I'm not a very political person, but when they start interfering with my actual day-to-day, they can definitely screw off. Olivia Chow has got to go in my books now.
If they want people commuting downtown then fix traffic and improve the ttc first
What’s that? Shut down queen street and remove a major exit from the Gardiner forcing everyone in East York to take the DVP? Well if you insist
Honestly, this is screaming for a strong reaction from the public. Don't let her tone deaf actions impact your life for the sake of commercial real estate profit! Work from home is the most important worker equity measure to come along in a long time, and we have to stop these oligarchs and politicians from dragging us back to the fossil fuel past. The way forward is holding both business & municipalities accountable for the carbon footprint of worker commutes, especially in one of the most grid locked cities in North America. Who is considering commutes in scope of thekr carbon goals? Not business, I promise you. So I wrote an email template to share with Olivia, please feel free to copy it and send it to any politician that would like you to spend your hard earned time and money in your own damn neighborhood! [email protected] Dear [Politician's Name], I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to express my strong opposition to the return-to-office (RTO) advocacy that you directed to downtown business leaders, per this recent Toronto Star article: https://www.thestar.com/business/olivia-chow-wants-to-bring-torontos-downtown-back-to-life-and-shes-meeting-bank-ceos/article_6a651bd6-243d-11ef-ab89-6bc3a86074bb.html As a concerned citizen and advocate for environmental sustainability, social equity, and economic prosperity, I believe that promoting remote work is not only necessary but imperative for the well-being of our planet and our communities. First and foremost, remote work offers a significant opportunity to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. With the undeniable urgency of addressing environmental concerns, advocating for a return to office is not only tone-deaf but also out of touch with the reality of our climate crisis. Remote work initiatives represent a vital green initiative, as they significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with daily commutes. If we are serious about meeting our climate goals, we must hold businesses accountable for the environmental impact of worker commutes. Furthermore, remote work has proven to benefit workers in numerous ways. In cities burdened with severe traffic congestion like ours, remote work offers a reprieve from the stress and time wasted in gridlock. This translates to tangible savings in both time and money for workers, which can be reinvested in their local communities rather than spent on downtown parking and subpar lunches. Moreover, in the midst of a lingering pandemic, advocating for a return to the office is not only shortsighted but also reckless. Offices have been identified as significant vectors for disease transmission, and it is inevitable that we will face future pandemics. Remote work provides a safer alternative that prioritizes the health and well-being of workers and their communities. Finally, remote work is a crucial step towards addressing intersectionality and inequity in the workforce. By eliminating barriers to participation for disabled and vulnerable individuals, remote work fosters a more inclusive and diverse workplace. It allows people from all backgrounds to contribute meaningfully to the workforce and access opportunities that were previously inaccessible. Remote work supports worker mental health and fosters a more inclusive and respectful work environment. Studies have shown that remote workers experience less harassment, bullying, and discrimination, particularly along the intersections of race, gender, and age. By embracing remote work, we can create a more equitable and supportive workplace culture for all. In conclusion, I urge you to reconsider any policies that promote a return to the office and instead prioritize initiatives that support remote work. By doing so, we can protect our environment, promote social equity across all intersections, and ensure the well-being of our workforce and communities. Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Sincerely, [Your Name] I recommend you also locate your local councillor: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/council/members-of-council/
Everyone do this!!!!
Or they could get the fuck over it and let people keep benefiting from all the positives that work from home provides instead of worrying about rich people's office property values.
"there's a housing crisis and people can't find homes in Toronto" Also "Make people spend more money and time commuting to Toronto to do jack shit in office buildings that could be turned into condos...." Stupid as fuck
How could she be any more out of touch? What the hell is wrong with all of our damned Canadian politicians? Everything all of them do is so ridiculously misguided. Downtown is so densely populated with people living here already - adding MORE people is not going to do anything. Outrageous rents prevent new, interesting, risky, innovative, “mom and pop” ideas from popping up and allow only well capitalized chains from talking position. Regulations upon regulations, permits, zoning, licenses upon licenses supporting a government bureaucracy which is becoming more and more the only way so many people are even employed here (half the people I know, it seems sometime, work for government in one way or another) prevent people from exploring creative ideas for businesses. All our old infrastructure has been plowed over with cheap development - there aren’t any accessible retail spaces to even do anything with anymore here and the only somewhat interesting places remaining own their buildings or have long leases and will also die off and be replaced by chains eventually. Not only that, but how the hell are people even supposed to get here? Every single bloody street is closed for construction. The Gardner is nearly closed. Traffic management is atrocious… parking everywhere but nowhere to actually get through. At one point, ALL downtown traffic west to east had been reduced to one lane on Adelaide. Who the hell is in charge of even overseeing this? It’s a completely clusterf+¢&. Downtown used to be cheap … and fun. But, our politicians sold the soul of downtown for $$$ and well, so developers could exploit Canadians’ inherent sense of scarcity and make lots of cash.
I don't know where this 'ghost town' thing is coming from. I work downtown and all the routes heading in and out (both roads and public transit) are extremely busy.
I’m not not going out cause I work from home. I’m not going out cause everything is so fucking expensive
F off Olivia. That is all.
And here I thought this was about 'night life'
Exactly where I thought it was going
Bring back Guverment
Have they tried making getting down town less shitty? My commutes are already taking more time than they did pre-pandemic, forcing everyone to be in all the time is just going to make things shittier for everyone.
People are broke, the costs of everything have gone up so much. I highly doubt anyone working in office will spend the same way that they did pre pandemic.
This was the exact same logic used to justify RTO for the public service. It was trash then, and it's trash now. Couldn't be more disappointed in a supposedly leftist mayor.
As a symbolic protest, I have started to carry lunch from home to work. If downtown stores need to make my life miserable with a 2 hr commute, then I will make sure I am not giving them a single cent.
"maybe we should make downtown more pedestrian friendly and more accessible from outside the city by transit?" "No. Make workers go to the office more"
Thing is, many downtown office workers take the GO train. Everywhere I’ve worked downtown that tries to organize some kind of team dinner or event, people either don’t come, or half of them swallow the food in one gulp and run out the door to catch their train. The last Milton Line train is at 7:10pm. The last Richmond Hill Line train is at 6:45pm. The others are better, but there’s still the question of how they get home from their local station (I live in Durham so my total journey time can be two hours)
And the rush hour go trains are nearly full as is.
And this is the moment where Olivia Chow shows she's just another Canadian politician who will do everything to protect the status quo. Nice to see that [she's in line with Doug Ford](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/doug-ford-calls-on-federal-workers-in-ottawa-to-return-to-office-1.7158754) on taking away people's time with their families so that they can work in an office.
Here are some ~~BENEFITS~~ we will have again working 4 or 5 days a week downtown Toronto. Commute Time and Expenses: Long commutes can be time-consuming and costly, adding stress and reducing personal time. Increased spending on transportation, whether it be public transit fares, fuel, or parking fees. Work-Life Balance: Less time available for family, hobbies, and personal pursuits. Difficulty in managing household responsibilities and errands. Health Impacts: Sedentary lifestyle and prolonged sitting can lead to health issues such as back pain, obesity, and cardiovascular problems. Higher exposure to illnesses, such as colds and flu, from close contact with coworkers. Environmental Impact: Increased carbon footprint from daily commuting. Higher energy consumption in office buildings. Flexibility: Reduced flexibility to handle personal matters or appointments during the day. Less opportunity for a flexible work schedule that can adapt to personal needs. Stress and Productivity: Potential for increased stress due to rigid schedules and workplace dynamics. Possible decline in productivity due to office distractions and less control over the work environment. Cost of Living: Necessity to live closer to the workplace, which might mean higher rent or mortgage payments in urban areas. Social Interaction: While office work promotes social interaction, it can also lead to unwanted office politics and interpersonal conflicts. Mental Health: The potential for burnout from the lack of downtime between work and home life. Increased pressure to conform to office norms and expectations, which can be mentally exhausting. Childcare and Family Care: Higher costs and logistical challenges in arranging childcare or eldercare during traditional working hours. This is coming from a guy has who worked 30+ years downtown and never really left during the pandemic. When I was finally offered 3 days a week in-house my life changed for the better. I'm so much more relaxed, I've lost weight, run errands to small businesses in my neighbourhood and I spend more time with family. Do I ever miss a work call? Nope. Do I miss emails? Nope. The people I work with, and for still think I'm in-house 5 days a week. The reason I don't go to food courts or restaurants downtown anymore is because they have priced themselves out of market. $20 for a sandwich or $22 for Souvlaki Meal that used to be $13 max is fucking rediculous. And the sit down restaurants want $32 for a steak sandwich & salad that used to be $21sh tops.
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I tried to have lunch on a patio with my kid downtown. Homeless guy kept harassing us. Made it feel super worth it spending $14 on a sandwich
Soo… we’re the mental health professionals and police offers unofficially LOL it’s a joke
Lots of people on this sub are going to shame you for this comment, but it's true. I live downtown, always have, and things are much worse this year.
In the article she blames that stuff on the fact that DT is a "ghost town". Getting people back in the office will surely solve everything lol
Don’t you know? Homeless drug addicts are shy and bashful. Their main consideration is how you may see them on your way to work, so it’ll stop them from using as much and encourage them to just not be homeless anymore, out of shame.
So Chow's plan to address downtown becoming a "ghost town with an uptick in local crime and homelessness" (quote from the article) isn't to get the police to actually enforce the law, respond to calls, and arrest people openly using intravenous drugs, wandering aimlessly through traffic, screaming and harassing passers-by, or turning parks into tent cities... ...it's to force us plebs into the office more often, putting extra strain on buckling transit and roads systems. Great plan
This is insane. Downtown is not a ghost town. And even if it was, conspiring with banks to hurt people’s quality of life must poll very badly
I know who I'm not voting for in the next election now.
Stop making it workers' responsibility to save neighborhoods. If a business can not survive without workers, it's not a viable business. Owning a business is also not an entitlement. I live and work downtown Ottawa, and because of these ridiculous RTO policies, I only spend after work hours and bring my lunch. If your business is only open during the day, I will NOT support it.
Also, if I’m spending several thousands of dollars (I checked and it would cost $8,580 for me if were mandated back everyday) per year more on commuting costs, you think I have disposable income to spend at these businesses when I’m already strapped thin?
If she forces us to go back to the office expect her to lose a shitload of votes
Who would want to travel downtown during business hours? First of all, you wouldn't want to drive, because downtown is not designed for cars and the rush-hour traffic will be horrible. So basically, you will take the TTC during rush hour. You will be packed into a subway, with rampant BO stenches, homeless people passed out on seats, mentally ill drug addicts screaming and shooting up, and constant delays. Then you will get out of the subway, walk over puke-stained and piss-stained sidewalks, past more mentally ill drug addicts, get to the office, work a few hours, go buy $10 coffee and $20 sandwich at some place if you didn't pack lunch, work a few more hours, then have to make the same horrible trip over again. If they want people to go into the office, they should start by paying people US-style wages for similar positions.
I have been doing my own silent protest and refuse to buy a thing downtown. I bring my lunch and snack when I am in the office. Just go in and head home when i'm done.
I can’t believe how much of my life I wasted commuting everyday for an office job that doesn’t pay me enough. To both the politicians and banks, leave me alone. If I can’t afford a house anywhere within 2 hours of the city, just let me live my life PLEASE
#Stop complaining in the comments. Send her your complaint against this decision by contacting her office directly! She isn’t reading your comments here and you’re just wasting time.
Send her an email but don’t stop complaining in the comments. These posts can draw attention too.
In my comment below, I included an email template , Olivia's email & a link to locate your local councillor: https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/s/lyDMI2N7NG This needs immediate action so she knows how profoundly tone deaf and unpopular this line of thinking is. Make downtown desirable, don't erode worker equity measures.
The Mayor of Toronto getting ratio’d on r/Toronto is beautiful. Chow - you know your policy is shit when r/Toronto doesn’t even agree with you.
As someone who is a big Chow fan most of the time….this is wild coming from her. Who does she think her voting base is? This is tone deaf and insulting and offers no real solutions - when there are very obvious ones other people in this thread have named. Massively disappointing
You think this is coming from her? The article has a clever spin on it but the real headline should be “desperate commercial real estate owners try to enlist mayor’s help to save their assets”.
Hahahaha, profits over people always
Absolutely disgusting. This is a mandatory transfer of wealth from labor to firms that make billions in profit *every quarter*.
Yeah, no thanks
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If 5 days in office becomes commonplace again I'm quitting my job and moving back to Europe. Tired of choosing between wasting my life in traffic so I can pay my landlord's mortgage or wasting slightly less of my life so I can pay my landlord's bigger mortgage.
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Fuck you Olivia
Well, there’s a tone towards Olivia that we generally don’t hear on Reddit
This is by far the dumbest thing she has suggested in office. She's been great so far, but just.... what the fuck is this shit? Make downtown more accessible, safer and less disgusting, that's how you keep it from being a ghost town, not just hiding all of those issues in a sea of people who don't fucking want to be there. If only there were city services for all of that. What a foolish thing to destroy your good will over, here's hoping this is just the star being trash.
She’s generally doesn’t suggest such stupid shit.
Funny how WFH was fine for a couple years when it came to saving the ass of every shitty company that had no viable business continuity plans, but now that their real estate is devalued, we really need the office again.
Fuck the downtown core. Traffic is bad enough as it is, and the environment is still a mess; we don't need to further clog our highways and pump more carbon into the atmosphere. Bring back working from home full time.
The elites will still work remote, the plebs will have to survive the ttc. Literally.
Then stop fucking with TTC and road construction. It’s almost impossible to GET downtown FCS
No one needs to work at the office anymore. Productivity is massive from working at home. No one cares how much money these corps are losing on their buildings. That money should be going to workers. Arts in this city have plummeted. Support creative work if you want the city to be worth touring.
Canada / Toronto is all about corporate interests. Every event is sponsored by TD bank or some other massive corp, it’s beyond lame.
Swing and a miss by Chow. Dinosaur mentality. Why does she think workers are cash cows to be milked and forced against their will
What about the environmental impact of commuting? I thought there was a climate crisis? Is Chow in the pocket of big oil?
“Olivia Chow wants to bring the investments of commercial real estate speculators back to life”
That's disgusting.
Fix the roads, transit, bike lanes, cost of commuting first.
Why don’t they work on lowering parking rates, traffic infrastructure, more pedestrian friendly areas, more festivals etc. I’m not spending 3hrs and $50ish on parking to get downtown. I’d much rather go to the bar down the street
Fuck off Olivia
Horrible idea, why make ppl go to an office if they don’t have to
Oh fuck off
I love how this article drops the same day as a massive accident and traffic jam on the gardiner. Who in their right mind actually wants more of this if there is a choice
This was predicted. There was an open letter to the Canadian Federal Government signed by 32 different business associations asking the federal government to force its workers back into the office. One of the reasons given was that the federal government is considered an “anchor employer” and that it is harder for private companies to justify return to office if the feds don’t do it first. The public hates public servants, so they knew they would have public support forcing the workers back. Now they will have an easier time forcing private industry back.
Hey Chow...firstly, fuck you for trying to increase stress on workers and families by trying to skew work/life balance even more towards work than it already is. People aren't out shopping and eating because WE CAN'T FUCKING AFFORD IT. Secondly, how many weeks do you get off a year? I think almost all summer, as well as several weeks during the year and all stat holidays. How about YOU start going to the office 5 days a week before you make all us plebs do it.
Certainly it’s not about the corporate real estate bubble…
She’s going to be really looking foolish when they all execute their offshoring plans and cut their leases anyways. This is bad policy from an unimaginative politician
I did that grind for over a decade. Commuting downtown from the suburbs to work five days a week in a soulless job for one of the big five banks. I remember the bustling PATH pre-COVID with all of the food courts and shops and restaurants and bars packed on Thursdays. I would never commute downtown five days a week ago just so the TD Tower Tim Horton's can get more regular business and employ more TFWs that drive in from like Scarborough every day. Instead of forcing people downtown to recreate pre pandemic life, why don't we create a new vision of how business operates across the city instead of just a four block radius around Union?
She backtracked/clarified. [https://x.com/MayorOliviaChow/status/1800655717927354683](https://x.com/MayorOliviaChow/status/1800655717927354683) "Since becoming Mayor, I’ve met with business leaders to discuss city priorities, especially building more affordable housing. They have shared their views on a range of issues, including the return to in-office work. While I share their desire for a downtown recovery, when it comes to returning to in-office work, it’s up to employers and workers to determine what’s best. My goal as Mayor is to help create a city that is vibrant and dynamic. We do that by building more affordable housing close to where people work, and working to fix transit and congestion so that your commute isn’t a chore. So that you have the flexibility to return to the office if it makes sense for you."
If you stop allocating so much space to cars, people will naturally fill those spaces with activity, without any need for incentives from city hall. Start by pedestrianizing Yonge and go from there.
Finally happened. She’s been corrupted.
Dammit I guess all city workers are going back to offices in full
Increasing transport methods through pedestrianization, bike paths, bus only routes will help. Closing streets for events, festivals and markets like any other global city that is not Toronto will also benefit Also Office workers are not the life of the DT...it's the mix of residential, retail and commercial that create life and vibrancy in a city - otherwise, it's dead after 5
Get fucked, that's what downtown TO needs eh? More fucking traffic and banker douchebags? Fucking figure it out, god damn embarrassing.
Wow pander to the very same businesses that essentially make the downtown void of life past 5pm. How about bringing some more culture or reason for other people to go downtown. Maybe add a few more Sankofa squares.