Mayoral candidate Jeff Leiper promises to reverse city's return-to-office mandate if elected

'The buck stops here,' mayoral candidate Jeff Leiper said at an Aug. 24 campaign announcement on return-to-office policies. Photo by Jean Levac /Jean Levac

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Mayoral candidate Jeff Leiper promised to reverse the city’s five-day return-to-office mandate and “push back” against the federal government’s return-to-office policy if elected mayor.

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At a campaign announcement at Parliament Station on Monday, Aug. 24, Leiper said his proposal would give municipal employees “maximum” flexibility to choose the working arrangements that benefit their families, if operational requirements allow.

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He also pledged to call on the federal government to base its workplace decisions on “operational needs, employee performance, and the services Canadians deserve.”

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“This is about our time, our money and our quality of life,” he said.

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Asked whether reversing the city’s in-office policy would mean a return to a pandemic-era hybrid work arrangement, Leiper reiterated his commitment to “maximum” flexibility.

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“If workers can, we want them to be able to work from home,” he said.

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Council blocked previous Leiper motion on return-to-office

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At the time, Stephanson said more than 85 per cent of city staff were already on-site or in the workplace each day.

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Leiper expressed his “profound disappointment” in a social media post and later introduced a motion at council calling on Stephanson to “rescind” the five-day standard.

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Stephanson has described the city’s mandate as a starting point, adding that flexibility and manager discretion would be maintained. Last week, she said the city’s approach to the issue is based on “ultimate flexibility between employer and employees.”

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Leiper put the blame on Sutcliffe.

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Although staffing decisions at the city fall under Stephanson’s purview, Sutcliffe did vote yes on a motion that reaffirmed her authority on the issue. That motion overrode Leiper’s attempt to have council direct Stephanson to walk back the policy.

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If elected, Leiper said he would try again with “the full expectation” that he would be supported by council.

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“The buck stops here,” he said. “Absolutely, the city manager has a lot of operational responsibilities, but ultimately the mayor of the city is the CEO, and I believe the mayor has an obligation to ensure that they are working in the best interests of Ottawa residents and in the best interests of Ottawa workers.”

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In an email, the Sutcliffe campaign said the management of municipal employees is the responsibility of the city manager, not the mayor.