Federal government closing federal co-working sites to allocate office space to departments

All employees in the core public service are now required to work a minimum of four days in the office, but unions and workers continue to push back.

The federal government is closing co-working sites in Ottawa, Gatineau and across Canada this fall to reallocate office space to federal organizations to meet their “operational needs” as public servants are now required to be in the office four days a week.

There are currently 12 GCcoworking sites across Canada, including four in Ottawa: 171 Bank St., 335 River Rd., 555 Legget Dr. and 110 Place d’Orleans Dr. at Place d’Orleans. There is also a co-working site at Promenade du Portage in Gatineau.

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The GCcoworking sites are office spaces open to public servants in participating federal agencies, with more than 15,000 public servants in over 50 departments and agents registered. The government says each location is IT-enabled and offers individual workstations and collaborative spaces.

Public Works and Procurement Canada tells CTV News Ottawa it will close the existing GCcoworking sites at the end of September.

“Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) continuously assesses the space requirements of federal departments and agencies and prioritizes maximizing the use of existing accommodations — whether Crown-owned or leased — before considering the acquisition of additional space,” a spokesperson for the department said Thursday afternoon.

“Effective September 30, 2026, existing GCcoworking sites will be allocated to federal organizations to help meet their operational needs and support the implementation of the Direction on Prescribed Presence in the Workplace.”

The government closed the GCcoworking site at 480 boulevard de la Cité in Gatineau in June after the lease ended.

As of Monday, all federal public servants are required to be on site a minimum of four days per week, and “where possible, will be assigned dedicated workstations,” PSPC said.

Office space challenges

Several federal departments have been forced to delay the implementation of the four day in-office mandate this summer due to a lack of office space.

Three federal departments have told CTV News Ottawa they will be delaying the four days a week return-to-office mandate for most staff due to a lack of office space — Global Affairs Canada, Statistics Canada and Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada.

A spokesperson for Employment and Social Development Canada said last week a number of department offices “require additional space to accommodate our employees” four days per week, and the department is developing strategies to support operational needs. Health Canada said some areas have “localized space challenges.”

The Department of National Defence has said workspace “may be limited” at certain buildings, and implementation of the four-day office mandate will be “managed by managers.”

Environment and Climate Change Canada said there are a “few locations” where a phased approach to the return-to-office mandate will be needed to accommodate staff, and employees have been notified.

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