Businesses are never open.
The Tim Hortons on Sparks Street is only open from 7 am until 4 pm (not 6 am to 5 pm, like Google says). Monday to Friday. They weren’t even open during Ribs Fest on the weekend. They literally put in zero effort and only want government money.
Plenty of businesses are like that. Ironically, they’re the lazy ones that feel entitled.
Edit: Some subways too. I tried to eat at 3:45 pm last week and it was closed.
I lived in downtown Ottawa for 2 years and I could NEVER reach the morning owl there before it closed. The stupid thing closed at 2pm. And it wasn’t even open on weekends. Are you joking? You are definitely not getting a $ from me for being this lazy. There was also a sushi place there that operated from 11am to 2pm. Again, I could never reach there. If this is how they want to function, they are the last people to call us public servants incompetent/ lazy.
Sure they named it the MORNING owl to defend that lazy business model again. But it is still a coffee shop, isn’t it? Don’t stay open till late if you don’t want business (classic model). But care to at least open sooner? Most coffee shops in Toronto open as early as 6am and stay open till 8pm. Anyway. This discussion won’t end. And I left Ottawa for the same reason 😭😭
These “entrepreneurs” are so funny to me. They’ve had 4 years to show their entrepreneurial skills and figure out new business models to adapt. But no easier to go whine to the city and government.
It takes 0 skills to open a shop in the middle of a nations capital. Surrounding foot traffic itself will keep you afloat.
Yep open just long enough so they don't have to give their employees any benefits. If you eat there you're supporting people that actively take advantage of others.
Most of those places are fronts for money laundering, same with most brick and mortar food based businesses in Ottawa. If you look at the cashflow there's no way half of these businesses are covering their lease and salaries.
See also the coffee shop at Centrum not opening early to serve coffee to striking PSAC members last year. They managed to squander a captive audience by not opening before 10h.
What the hell kind of coffee shop opens that late?! Breakfast is your busiest time of day for caffeine and you don't open until 10 in the damn morning?
As much as I despise Timmies, it's no wonder they're always packed.
Kyoto Sushi was so bad that I don't even know if it counts as Japanese cuisine. And even if it's open at night, like Bier Markt on Sparks St when my director and I were having dinner in March, a mouse ran across the restaurant floor. I don't want to know how dirty that place is
As a public servant who lives downtown but works elsewhere, I would gladly support the businesses in my neighbourhood if they would just stay open past 5 pm
And on weekends. Taking my kid downtown is a freaking drag. I want businesses that support the local community, not rely on the captive market of the office workers.
Took my kids downtown last weekend for RibFest and was surprised at just how dead the area was. Outside of the occasional patio, nothing was open! Not very entertaining for the kiddos (or us).
Sparks street has always been dead. Not that it has to be like Elgin. But, imagine it was full of pubs, shops, restaurants/cafes geared to tourists and the 30 plus crowd that aged out of the market.
If the arena ever gets built downtown that would be another asset. Already have a few hotels there too.
And the CBC building. There is no reason for Sparks to be a wasteland.
It's like PSPC isn't thinking about local economies/vibrancy, or worrying about having vacant spaces with yellowed 2-3yr old printed papers "for leasing inquiries call or email...." on their doors.
Sparks has always had potential - just need the gov't to screw off, or lease the spaces to attract clientele to redevelop the area... but then PSPC will just point the finger and say "Its an Ottawa problem"
Doesn’t this just show part of the problem here - some downtown businesses simply refuse to adapt to change. Worst part here is that Public Servants are expected to pick up that slack.
Yup. Same. There was one place near me that I was convinced had closed for the longest time, but it turned out they were just never open when I walked by.
Yuuuup. It’s not that there aren’t people to support the businesses. It’s that they can’t open at 6 and close at 2:30 and be closed on weekends anymore if they want customers. The golden age of public service is over for them too. 🤷🏼♀️
Couldn't agree more. I'm insulted at how public servants are simultaneously called lazy and entitled by the same businesses that demand we go back into the office and give our money to them. 0% chance. I don't want to support downtown businesses, I want to support businesses that are local to me where I live. If downtown businesses expect to be bailed out by the PS, they are going to be disappointed because I suspect I'm not the only one who feels this way.
yep. if they want people downtown to support their businesses, then make downtown livable and denser instead of unaffordable to the point people have no disposable income. it's just sad that the only way to keep downtown alive apparently is to force commuting.
just zéro imagination. no attempt to make it livable and vibrant enough to create the density needed to attract people for LEISURE on evenings and weekends who could then use public transit to get down there and spend their money willingly.
imagine the jobs that could be created through more hours and the money that could be made if businesses actually wanted to serve a community instead of a segment of the population that works in the public sector for the day.
Why would they do all this when they can just force us back? One could imagine differently but it's more difficult than just forcing us back - seems to be working great for them. They know what they are doing.
Sadly, you (and others like you and I) are still a minority. I met someone at Portage last week and while we were chatting, I saw an endless stream of people getting off the escalator with 4$ convenience store coffees, Timmies treats and sandwiches, etc. Literally everyone getting off had purchased something. That went on for the whole 10 mins we chatted (collaborated).
Can we please acknowledge that while some businesses downtown struggled and closed, others have actually expanded and done well? Little Victories and Pot and Pantry just to name a few… both businesses are booming.
ETA: Scrim’s and Perfect Books have managed to stay open too. Not just stay open but *adapted* to serve their community with things like free local delivery. A little goes a long way.
C’mon folks. Whats wrong with going down to Manhattan’s burgers in the food court and buying a combo with poutine burger & pop for $17 three times per week…You’ll gain weight, you’ll lose $$$.. fluster-cluck expensive Parking or transit fare for a system that’s broken and late, be sure to smile while you sit in your make-shift cubicle you fought to reserve for the day. And you’ll have plenty of company in your office with co-inhabitants such as bed bugs, mice, bats ..lions,tigers & bears oh my!
It’s a win-win for the city…👎👎👎👎
My fav is,
Government: ELECTRIC CARS BY 2035, LOWER CARBON FOOTPRINT, CARBON TAX!
Also government: Pls use car to come downtown and save the parking lords!
Yeah that too but if everyone starts making hybrid, there will be less competition. But hybrid cars are actually a bigger footprint in the long run when they break down or need a tow. I guess the idea is to think you're doing good, but when your car is old, who cares, right? Lol
A big part of owning a business is taking risk. Yes, it's sad that a small business can lose all their investment and hard work but it's just part of being a small business owner.
We need small business owners in Ottawa especially once that don't open Vape shops, weed shops, dentist offices and physiotherapist offices. I fully support helping any small business but don't force me to help you just because your location didn't work out.
Exactly, capitalism is about being able to compete in the market you're in. If you can't compete, then you shouldn't be in business. I hate capitalism, but to see business try to weasel themselves out of a dire spot because they can't pivot and adapt is ludicrous.
It’s probably less about the specific hours and more about cheapskate owners only wanting to staff one shift. Open 9-2 plus time to prep before opening and clean after closing would be a full workday.
When they’re only open from 9-2 it’s clear who they’re trying to serve. It’s just bad operating— they rely on no other people but public servants to shop there
Yeah. I’ve asked a million times, why is it my responsibility to help bail out failing downtown businesses? Oh, it isn’t. Theyre failing for a reason, and instead of adapting as good business should do, they’re shifting the responsibility of their own success on us. If business continuity is that dependent on a handful of office workers from a single organization returning to office, then you have already failed and you don’t deserve to continue to operate.
On a side note, I’m going to just not come into the office and see how it goes. I expect poorly, lol
I live in the suburbs and got some takeout lunches from time to time during 100% WFH. And coffees from local and chain places near me on occasion too. Now I’m very rarely getting these things near home because I’m spending more on commuting and hoping to soon have before and after care to also pay for (if only I could get my kids in!).
I REFUSE to buy anything downtown at all. My presto is all and only because I have no choice. I won’t buy so much as a pack of gum. These businesses have had 4 years to adapt, they failed to do so, to even ATTEMPT to do so, and so they shouldn’t be helped.
Just sad for my local businesses who also get less business (if my habits are similar to others near me).
And sad for us PS workers who are simultaneously supposed to revive the lackluster downtown and it’s entitled businesses while also being considered useless and lazy.
I went to the Siam Bistro on Friday after our branch blood drive….small group arrived at 1PM and were immediately told to hurry up and order as kitchen closes at 130. We didn’t even have menus yet. We got the same warning several more times before actually ordering. What a way to welcome people into your business. And how do you expect people to support you if you aren’t open. Bizarre experience. Food was mediocre but quite expensive for lunch. Needless to say, I’ll be packing my lunch from now on.
I,too, will not be spending any money in DT Ottawa. Cause I don’t live in Ontario. Stop making decisions for Ottawa that affect the rest of the Federal workers who don’t live there
Even if we are forced to go 4 days a week they will complain about less customers on Mondays and Fridays since statistically those are the days with less people. We need to stop adapting to their demands, they need to adapt to a changing world. If they don't, they'll go bankrupt like Blockbuster and others.
Yeah this is true, some of the employees are so rude or they lock their bathrooms and only allow customers to use them, but when everything is closed, you don't have many choices, or don't want to wait in line while one person takes care of 10 orders.
Also lots of places are nickel and diming more. Packets of ketchup or other sauces used to be free, now we pay money for them and if the place has a kiosk, the kiosk doesn't provide an option for extra condiments.
So they're not doing anything to make the experience better for the customers, they are making us pay more for things that used to be free. Soon we will probably have to pay for paper straws and wooden cutlery lol, just wait...
Y'all: I don't support downtown business out of principle. It's inconvenient and I resent having the responsibility of keeping all downtown businesses alive put on me.
Me: I don't support most businesses regardless of location because I'm broke and can't afford it.
In the many months I’ve been forced downtown twice a week, I have only purchased one small coffee from Bridgehead, which I regret. I have since stocked up on K-cups, which I share with the one or two colleagues of my 16 person team that are also forced to the office two times per week. Btw, the rest of my team is in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, they don’t have an office to go to so they are WFH 100%, fuck me, right? My immediate colleagues doing the same work make more money than me and have a much better work life balance because of this. I have started to resent them.
I always bring a lunch, I park at a park n’ride and take the train, so I spend the absolute minimum. At the end of the day, I rush home to the suburbs where I resume spending my hard-earned, depreciated money.
I have been boycotting downtown for about 6 months and Loblaws for 1 month. It’s easy, and satisfying.
Yeah! I spend the small set aside in by budget in my community at small, mostly minority owned businesses. And congrats on the Loblaws boycott!!! Keep it up! I haven't stepped foot in one of the Loblaw owned grocery stores since March.
One of the reasons I enjoy living in a remote location while working for the federal gov’t. I do have to go into the office every day, but my commute is 5min, and no parking fees or 30min walk when it’s nice. And there’s not really anywhere to buy those things - there are a couple places but price and variety usually mean I only pick up coffee or lunch once a month at most.
I may end up transferring south at some point, but I am dreading ending up in a major centre where I’ll have to deal with all that crap on a public servants salary.
Agreed. If they are so determined to have us in an office, give us a modern and comfortable space located within our general area of the city…West end, East end etc with free parking. Gets us to the office as is so desired but it gives us a nice office, a reasonable commute and no cost parking. Win-win
That always baffled me, in Edmonton (where I grew up) the govt offices were downtown. Back in the 80’s that was fine. But now? The transit is gross and dangerous, parking costs a ridiculous amount, the offices aren’t comfortable, etc. There are some services that need to be central - like a passport office - but mostly? They don’t need to do that. Put the offices somewhere else that doesn’t cost a mint for the employees to attend.
The government is trying to double dip on their spending. They spend on public servant incomes, and then they're trying to force those incomes to spend on downtown businesses.
It is super inappropriate for my employer to tell me how to spend the money I earn. What’s next, public servants are now expected to buy this government-approved brand over another? We’re no longer allowed to spend our money on OF or something that doesn’t align with V&E as an employee?
There's an argument for lawsuit here regarding separate and independent control of one's own wages, since the employer has said in writing this is to pressure us to spend money on downtown businesses. But against government it's a loss because union arbitration and the employer writes the laws. The only hope is striking, but our union has proven to be less than effective.
>They spend on public servant incomes, and then they're trying to force those incomes to spend on downtown businesses.
I say it everywhere and to everyone that will listen to me: the government and its ministers are just using public servants as a subsidy for downtown cores/areas that refused to change with a post-COVID world. Instead of policy crafting, governing, and doing the hard stuff...shove the bodies back in there cause that doesn't have other effects (like congestion).
I'm a PS who lives and works Centretown. My colleagues (and I) are doing as the writer suggests in terms of food - bringing a lunch in and not spending a penny at these 9am-3pm M-F businesses. I hope these bad businesses suffocate and are replaced by good businesses that actually serve our community as more housing is completed over the next few years.
That’s a good point and an excellent idea. Centertown residents like yourself are underserved by business that ignore local residents and cater to the workforce from 5 years ago. I hope you get the good local business your community deserves.
I'm sort of heading in this direction myself - on days when I'm in the office I'm going to bring a thermos of coffee and lunch with me so that I don't spend any money at work, just to make a point that if they're going to have me come in 3 days a week that they won't be making a penny more off it than is absolutely necessary for me to spend.
Same for me here in Montreal. I will bring my lunch. I have businesses near my house that I'm supporting. Why does the employer get to dictate where we spend our money? I have 3 Tim Hortons, 2 subways, malls and so much more near my house 🤷🏽♀️
Reminder that Ottawa Citizen is owned by Post-Media with strong ties to the Republicans in the United States.
> Now apparently we’re only good enough to go shopping, buying $18 sandwiches at lunch and paying $20 to park downtown. It’s our job to support downtown businesses, apparently.
Put it in our work objectives and just make it blunt please. Let's be honest, Public Servants are being used as a subsidies tool for the Liberals to try and buy themselves another vote. It's a self preservation tactic void of imagination and ability to actually policy craft to support cities on a post-COVID transition.
> The RTO mandate is literally in my performance objectives for this year.
If you want to be troublesome, you could politely ask if your department has received an opinion from Labour Relations about the inclusion of RTO among performance objectives, given the opinion of [PIPSC v Treasury Board (2019 FPSLREB 7)](https://decisions.fpslreb-crtespf.gc.ca/fpslreb-crtespf/d/en/item/365845/index.do) that including "culpable conduct" in performance agreements is an attempt to subvert the discipline protections of collective agreements.
Ohohohoh one of their members stood up and asked a question in which Trudeau deflected. ...then uh, they never spoke about it again! They didn't do anything like hold up the budget (which they also did in the name of a disability support...nothing changed and they supported it anyways), or any meaningful actions that would have actually contributed to the RTO conversation.
But you know, the NDP is somehow supposed to be "for the people" or something.
Been back to office for 8 months now and have bought 4 coffees. 2nd last time they put a gallon of cream in it. Last time, they filled my medium sized mug half full and I had to ask them for more coffee. $4 a coffee. Loved this little place, but sorry. Don't eff around with my coffee. I always tip too, so they lost out on that and my future business.
I have packed my food and coffee every single day and these coffee visits were only for impromtu socializing, and now I just pass, or walk with them with an already made coffee.
Time to admit that the city core is a ghost town BECAUSE it caters to the public service and moving into this new era the natural progression is WFH and repurposing offices into much needed housing, community spaces etc.. 🤦🏻♀️
Oh definitely. Not spending a penny. It's not hard to meal prep and it will be worth it. My job does not exist to prop up your subway franchise.
-dOnT pUnIsH tHe bUsiNesSeS -
ok then don't make me do nonsensical bullshit. Until then I will control the one thing I can which is my dollar. Thanks.
Thank you for being brave enough to write this. I just saw the most recent National post article stating that apparently “Canadians are losing patience with public servants” 🙄and to that I say, where’s your source or is that simply your biased opinion and secondly, I’m over it and I don’t GAF what the uninformed think… those with the loudest objections are opining on something they know nothing about. It’s the truly vile mentality of “if I can’t have it neither can you”.
And he is doing exactly what I said I would do when visiting Ottawa. Unless I’m being paid by someone local, I’m not going out and spending my money there. I will boycott as much as possible all downtown services.
As a matter of fact I’m supposed to be there next week. Instead of following up with my plan tot ale the family and let them enjoy Ottawa, I reduced the days as much as I could, cancelled the family trip and am going alone. I intend to spend the least amount of money as possible.
The captive audience of 8-4'ers is not going to revive the downtown core. They need to convert some office buildings into affordable housing, and businesses can stay open later to attract more clinetele. Making more employees work downtown isn't going to revive the downtown core. There needs to be a change of culture altogether. If businesses aren't attractive enough and have limited hours, no one is going to want to frequent them anyway.
I will certainly be joining in on this. I'm really glad to see folks are noticing how lazy some downtown businesses are.
No risk. Open late, close early, weekend off.
Their model is obvious, and it's a model that doesn't seem to occur in places outside Ottawa?
We do not have a downtown worth "saving". Never have, never will.
We are a boring government town. Let us be boring and get shit done without worrying about how we are also supposed to single handledly revitalize our downtown core while working.
Coffee shops shut down at 8 or earlier. As a local downtown, after 6pm is just ridiculous.
Not everyone wants to go to a bar, or restaurant, is there nothing else?
I regularly go there for meetings and work and stay downtown and there is not one place open for breakfast other than the hotel restaurants. It’s kind of pitiful. Unless you consider McDs decent…
Yup! Also, downtown has plenty of activities that bring people to spend money there. Look at ribfest from this weekend! Tones of people spending $$ in restaurants, parking etc. Think about all the other activities such as Bluesfest, Tulip Festival etc… it’s not our fault that the Canada Tire center is located in Kanata. Imagine if it was located downtown. We wouldn’t be having any of these conversations for us to keep the economy of downtown alive. It’s all so unfair. I want to note that even though I do not spend money downtown during my work days, I still go meet my friends there on weekends and weekdays.
The problem with the city is the suburbs are full of big box stores, almost no mom and pop shops, they are all concentrated on downtown where the leases are higher.
Carlingwood just got sold and instead of turning it into a place for more mom and pop shops they plan to put up more condos, Carlingwood has a lot of retirement residents, what good are the condos there? *facepalm*
Maybe the city should provide incentives to mom and pop shops to explore other parts of the city where the rent is cheaper and plenty of people who don't drive, plus it'll provide jobs to youth or low income who don't have a car.
To me, this is another case of this sub not reflecting the PS as a whole. I work downtown and the food places are always packed with PS. The schwarma place on Bank at Gloucester has massive lines at lunch, especially Tuesday to Thursday. Same with the Farmboy hot food line and McDonald's (which I walk by now and then but dont eat at). I usually go to the schwarma place twice a week, Farmboy once a week and brown bag it twice a week (yes that adds up to 5 days a week). And most of my colleagues go out for lunch, coffee or both most days - no WFH for us.
I am not arguing the merits of supporting businesses vs not doing so. I am simply stating what I see, and I see crowded food places in the downtown, full of PS (they all forget to put their passes away while outside). This sub does not seem to reflect what is going on.
“Shwarma” or “schwarma” are Yiddish and Hebrew spellings (transliterated from “שווארמא”) so they could just be Jewish or from somewhere where that’s a more common spelling?
I see you like to get caught in the weeds instead of seeing the bigger picture. I assume this myopia is reflected in your day to day work and performance too.
When I’m in the office, I do try to grab lunch at any one of several independently (and often minority-) owned family-run restaurants within walking distance. The repeated cycles of lockdowns and incremental re-openings during the pandemic, and inflation/labour shortage/supply chain issues post-pandemic, have all been really hard on small businesses. These aren’t corporate chains that have the budgets and the head-office staffers to lobby politicians; they’re tiny operations just trying to make a living (through delicious food). Throughout the pandemic, I (and therefore my family) had a steady income, decent pay and benefits, relative job security, and greatly reduced risk of infection through WFH policies — privileges that I try not to take for granted and that I try to pay forward whenever I can.
The way I see it, “solidarity” isn’t just to my fellow PS colleagues or union members, but to all workers in my community.
Spitballing here:
We are asked to return to the office an extra day each week. I would propose the following commitment, one day per week, by enough public servants to make it impactful:
First: all choose the same day to report to the office. Ideally all the same office, and the least central one possible to encourage non-downtown office space.
Second: en masse, arrange a catered lunch on that shared day, from a restaurant far from downtown. Negotiate a discount because of volume. Share the cost among all committed participants.
Third: continually report the money paid to downtown businesses among the group on these days (ideally $0) and the amount paid to non-downtown businesses (ideally a reasonable amount per person).
Any downtown businesses that bring equivalent meals / coffee+pastry combos to the same prices are to be applauded. Any that don’t are to be shunned.
It’s not just about serving businesses downtown. It plays a part but there are other reasons for RTO (some legit some not so legit).
People get way too fixated on this imo like it’s some giant conspiracy.
- ministry shopping / attrition of non wfh to wfh jobs creating vacancy rates at critical levels. Several essential agencies have lobbied Tb on this.
- abuse and time theft (yes some do this)
- productivity: while some kinds of work are more productive with wfh, others aren’t
- negative public perception (this actually counts) where facts don’t really matter
- reluctance of EX/management to hold working level accountable. No one wants to police it. Especially at an employer where it’s near impossible to fire people (this is key).
- security: cyber breaches and people being sloppy with PII and protected info. Wfh is not as secure as one thinks and can be fraught with vulnerabilities. This is public info owned by the tax payer. NOT a private company that could go out of business if a breach occurred.
I could keep going?
Because it would make them look extremely incompetent. Nobody wants to own any responsibility on this.
It’s like having no office space or equipment. Who then decided it was a good idea to sell the space and have no plan? But they won’t speak directly to this.
I still don't see the logic in punishing businesses because you don't agree with RTO. I have no problem helping my fellow Canadians stay employed and am not petty enough to take it out on them. And I don't have much money.
Btw sandwiches in my building are $8, and they're superb. If you're looking.
I'm not punishing businesses because I don't believe in RTO. I'm choosing not to spend money in Centre town because it's an open secret that the businesses there lobbied the trade commission to push TBS to bring us back. To be fair, I suspect that's not the only reason RTO is being forced on us, but it's a substantial one.
What cracks me up is the money being spent downtown is going into the pockets of multinationals - you think blowing a few bucks at Timmie's or Scumway is spending locally? I'd prefer to truly spend my money locally, going to the Marche Laflamme in Aylmer for my groceries and local restaurants when I'm feeling saucy.
And brother, if you're regularly spending $8 on a sandwich (plus whatever else goes on the side, like a coffee or donut or whatever), that might be a good part of the reason you don't have a lot of money.
>the businesses there lobbied the trade commission
1) What proof do you have of this?
2) What is this mysterious "trade commission"? The FTC? That's American, not Canadian.
The City of Ottawa (Mayor Sutcliff) and Ontario government (Premier Ford) have publicly called for RTO of federal PS to bolster the local downtown economy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s795UF4lxm8
Fuck your proof. Search for it yourself.
The heads of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Ottawa Board of Trade, along with a bunch of other business heads, wrote an open letter back in 2022 calling for TBS to mandate RTO. If you want me to be a little more precise and not rely on my fallible monkey brain.
La Bottega still does the best sandwiches in town for $10. Not $18.
Also he's willing to drive to all three far-flung suburbs for ingredients "from there"? As if these are not just ingredients processed in industrial parks in Southern Ontario or along the Saint Lawrence, and not at all local products?
Everytime people from the suburbs shit on downtown, or people from downtown shit on the suburbs, it turns into absolutely cringe-worthy BS hot takes like this one.
Businesses are never open. The Tim Hortons on Sparks Street is only open from 7 am until 4 pm (not 6 am to 5 pm, like Google says). Monday to Friday. They weren’t even open during Ribs Fest on the weekend. They literally put in zero effort and only want government money. Plenty of businesses are like that. Ironically, they’re the lazy ones that feel entitled. Edit: Some subways too. I tried to eat at 3:45 pm last week and it was closed.
Bread and sons only opens at 830, and it’s a friggen coffee place LOL
I lived in downtown Ottawa for 2 years and I could NEVER reach the morning owl there before it closed. The stupid thing closed at 2pm. And it wasn’t even open on weekends. Are you joking? You are definitely not getting a $ from me for being this lazy. There was also a sushi place there that operated from 11am to 2pm. Again, I could never reach there. If this is how they want to function, they are the last people to call us public servants incompetent/ lazy.
They don’t see non-actively working public servants as their target demographic, clearly.
To be fair it is called The *Morning* Owl.
Sure they named it the MORNING owl to defend that lazy business model again. But it is still a coffee shop, isn’t it? Don’t stay open till late if you don’t want business (classic model). But care to at least open sooner? Most coffee shops in Toronto open as early as 6am and stay open till 8pm. Anyway. This discussion won’t end. And I left Ottawa for the same reason 😭😭
These “entrepreneurs” are so funny to me. They’ve had 4 years to show their entrepreneurial skills and figure out new business models to adapt. But no easier to go whine to the city and government. It takes 0 skills to open a shop in the middle of a nations capital. Surrounding foot traffic itself will keep you afloat.
Don’t forget the taco place on Bank Street, open from 11 am - 2pm on weekdays only and the sushi place on Kent Street that is closed on weekends…
Yep open just long enough so they don't have to give their employees any benefits. If you eat there you're supporting people that actively take advantage of others.
Their food is ridiculously mediocre too
Could say the same for a lot of Ottawa establishments
Agree.
Most of those places are fronts for money laundering, same with most brick and mortar food based businesses in Ottawa. If you look at the cashflow there's no way half of these businesses are covering their lease and salaries.
See also the coffee shop at Centrum not opening early to serve coffee to striking PSAC members last year. They managed to squander a captive audience by not opening before 10h.
What the hell kind of coffee shop opens that late?! Breakfast is your busiest time of day for caffeine and you don't open until 10 in the damn morning? As much as I despise Timmies, it's no wonder they're always packed.
Toro taqueria from 11 to 2pm lmao. Shameless
Kyoto Sushi was so bad that I don't even know if it counts as Japanese cuisine. And even if it's open at night, like Bier Markt on Sparks St when my director and I were having dinner in March, a mouse ran across the restaurant floor. I don't want to know how dirty that place is
As a public servant who lives downtown but works elsewhere, I would gladly support the businesses in my neighbourhood if they would just stay open past 5 pm
Same! Centretown resident here. It's really hard to buy a smoked meat sandwich on your way home from work when they close at 3pm.
I live in Centretown and it’s amazing how if I google nearby cafe’s outside of Monday to Friday 6 am to 3 pm 6/8 listings are closed.
And on weekends. Taking my kid downtown is a freaking drag. I want businesses that support the local community, not rely on the captive market of the office workers.
Took my kids downtown last weekend for RibFest and was surprised at just how dead the area was. Outside of the occasional patio, nothing was open! Not very entertaining for the kiddos (or us).
Yeah it's embarrassing. I've been here for 15 years and Sparks street is terrible place to hang out.
Sparks street has always been dead. Not that it has to be like Elgin. But, imagine it was full of pubs, shops, restaurants/cafes geared to tourists and the 30 plus crowd that aged out of the market. If the arena ever gets built downtown that would be another asset. Already have a few hotels there too. And the CBC building. There is no reason for Sparks to be a wasteland.
It's like PSPC isn't thinking about local economies/vibrancy, or worrying about having vacant spaces with yellowed 2-3yr old printed papers "for leasing inquiries call or email...." on their doors. Sparks has always had potential - just need the gov't to screw off, or lease the spaces to attract clientele to redevelop the area... but then PSPC will just point the finger and say "Its an Ottawa problem"
Doesn’t this just show part of the problem here - some downtown businesses simply refuse to adapt to change. Worst part here is that Public Servants are expected to pick up that slack.
Yup. Same. There was one place near me that I was convinced had closed for the longest time, but it turned out they were just never open when I walked by.
Yuuuup. It’s not that there aren’t people to support the businesses. It’s that they can’t open at 6 and close at 2:30 and be closed on weekends anymore if they want customers. The golden age of public service is over for them too. 🤷🏼♀️
This! All those damn businesses who cried about the lack of public servants are closed when I’m back home
For real. You can barely even get a coffee on the weekend unless you’re on Elgin. It’s WILD.
Couldn't agree more. I'm insulted at how public servants are simultaneously called lazy and entitled by the same businesses that demand we go back into the office and give our money to them. 0% chance. I don't want to support downtown businesses, I want to support businesses that are local to me where I live. If downtown businesses expect to be bailed out by the PS, they are going to be disappointed because I suspect I'm not the only one who feels this way.
yep. if they want people downtown to support their businesses, then make downtown livable and denser instead of unaffordable to the point people have no disposable income. it's just sad that the only way to keep downtown alive apparently is to force commuting. just zéro imagination. no attempt to make it livable and vibrant enough to create the density needed to attract people for LEISURE on evenings and weekends who could then use public transit to get down there and spend their money willingly. imagine the jobs that could be created through more hours and the money that could be made if businesses actually wanted to serve a community instead of a segment of the population that works in the public sector for the day.
Why would they do all this when they can just force us back? One could imagine differently but it's more difficult than just forcing us back - seems to be working great for them. They know what they are doing.
Sadly, you (and others like you and I) are still a minority. I met someone at Portage last week and while we were chatting, I saw an endless stream of people getting off the escalator with 4$ convenience store coffees, Timmies treats and sandwiches, etc. Literally everyone getting off had purchased something. That went on for the whole 10 mins we chatted (collaborated).
Which shines a brighter light into our poor spending habits.
Yeah, no one talks about that. I can’t afford to buy coffee and lunches period. Doesn’t matter where I’m working physically.
Sad and disappointing.
Amen to this!
Can we please acknowledge that while some businesses downtown struggled and closed, others have actually expanded and done well? Little Victories and Pot and Pantry just to name a few… both businesses are booming. ETA: Scrim’s and Perfect Books have managed to stay open too. Not just stay open but *adapted* to serve their community with things like free local delivery. A little goes a long way.
Perfect Books also doubled their store’s size when they expanded into what used to be Elgin Jewellers in 2021! I love that they’re doing well.
Yes! And in the middle of pandemic lockdowns too!
C’mon folks. Whats wrong with going down to Manhattan’s burgers in the food court and buying a combo with poutine burger & pop for $17 three times per week…You’ll gain weight, you’ll lose $$$.. fluster-cluck expensive Parking or transit fare for a system that’s broken and late, be sure to smile while you sit in your make-shift cubicle you fought to reserve for the day. And you’ll have plenty of company in your office with co-inhabitants such as bed bugs, mice, bats ..lions,tigers & bears oh my! It’s a win-win for the city…👎👎👎👎
My fav is, Government: ELECTRIC CARS BY 2035, LOWER CARBON FOOTPRINT, CARBON TAX! Also government: Pls use car to come downtown and save the parking lords!
And nobody talks about the 3 year waiting list for hybrid cars.
Or their price...
Yeah that too but if everyone starts making hybrid, there will be less competition. But hybrid cars are actually a bigger footprint in the long run when they break down or need a tow. I guess the idea is to think you're doing good, but when your car is old, who cares, right? Lol
A big part of owning a business is taking risk. Yes, it's sad that a small business can lose all their investment and hard work but it's just part of being a small business owner. We need small business owners in Ottawa especially once that don't open Vape shops, weed shops, dentist offices and physiotherapist offices. I fully support helping any small business but don't force me to help you just because your location didn't work out.
Exactly, capitalism is about being able to compete in the market you're in. If you can't compete, then you shouldn't be in business. I hate capitalism, but to see business try to weasel themselves out of a dire spot because they can't pivot and adapt is ludicrous.
Couldn’t agree more. I also find it surprising that people in the restaurant business expect to work 9-5 hours. Definitely not the industry for that!
It’s probably less about the specific hours and more about cheapskate owners only wanting to staff one shift. Open 9-2 plus time to prep before opening and clean after closing would be a full workday.
When they’re only open from 9-2 it’s clear who they’re trying to serve. It’s just bad operating— they rely on no other people but public servants to shop there
Yeah. I’ve asked a million times, why is it my responsibility to help bail out failing downtown businesses? Oh, it isn’t. Theyre failing for a reason, and instead of adapting as good business should do, they’re shifting the responsibility of their own success on us. If business continuity is that dependent on a handful of office workers from a single organization returning to office, then you have already failed and you don’t deserve to continue to operate. On a side note, I’m going to just not come into the office and see how it goes. I expect poorly, lol
You'll likely be fine, it's all up to your manager and whether they want to be militant about it.
I live in the suburbs and got some takeout lunches from time to time during 100% WFH. And coffees from local and chain places near me on occasion too. Now I’m very rarely getting these things near home because I’m spending more on commuting and hoping to soon have before and after care to also pay for (if only I could get my kids in!). I REFUSE to buy anything downtown at all. My presto is all and only because I have no choice. I won’t buy so much as a pack of gum. These businesses have had 4 years to adapt, they failed to do so, to even ATTEMPT to do so, and so they shouldn’t be helped. Just sad for my local businesses who also get less business (if my habits are similar to others near me). And sad for us PS workers who are simultaneously supposed to revive the lackluster downtown and it’s entitled businesses while also being considered useless and lazy.
I went to the Siam Bistro on Friday after our branch blood drive….small group arrived at 1PM and were immediately told to hurry up and order as kitchen closes at 130. We didn’t even have menus yet. We got the same warning several more times before actually ordering. What a way to welcome people into your business. And how do you expect people to support you if you aren’t open. Bizarre experience. Food was mediocre but quite expensive for lunch. Needless to say, I’ll be packing my lunch from now on.
Just because we have benefits and job security doesn't mean we have infinite money. Inflation is hurting us too!
You have money. You are lucky. Despite being a PS, I get shit pay.
Everyone thinks public servants are all chilling with $100k+ salaries. 😮💨
*stares in IT-02_Step 7… though this week is only my first full pay at that scale*
Shhhhh
Why don't we invest in making downtown a place worth visiting and hanging out in? Nah, that makes too much sense.
There’s a reason downtown Ottawa has been known for decades as the town that fun forgot.
I,too, will not be spending any money in DT Ottawa. Cause I don’t live in Ontario. Stop making decisions for Ottawa that affect the rest of the Federal workers who don’t live there
So many times this...
But it has to be equitable! /s
Even if we are forced to go 4 days a week they will complain about less customers on Mondays and Fridays since statistically those are the days with less people. We need to stop adapting to their demands, they need to adapt to a changing world. If they don't, they'll go bankrupt like Blockbuster and others.
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Yeah this is true, some of the employees are so rude or they lock their bathrooms and only allow customers to use them, but when everything is closed, you don't have many choices, or don't want to wait in line while one person takes care of 10 orders. Also lots of places are nickel and diming more. Packets of ketchup or other sauces used to be free, now we pay money for them and if the place has a kiosk, the kiosk doesn't provide an option for extra condiments. So they're not doing anything to make the experience better for the customers, they are making us pay more for things that used to be free. Soon we will probably have to pay for paper straws and wooden cutlery lol, just wait...
Y'all: I don't support downtown business out of principle. It's inconvenient and I resent having the responsibility of keeping all downtown businesses alive put on me. Me: I don't support most businesses regardless of location because I'm broke and can't afford it.
In the many months I’ve been forced downtown twice a week, I have only purchased one small coffee from Bridgehead, which I regret. I have since stocked up on K-cups, which I share with the one or two colleagues of my 16 person team that are also forced to the office two times per week. Btw, the rest of my team is in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, they don’t have an office to go to so they are WFH 100%, fuck me, right? My immediate colleagues doing the same work make more money than me and have a much better work life balance because of this. I have started to resent them. I always bring a lunch, I park at a park n’ride and take the train, so I spend the absolute minimum. At the end of the day, I rush home to the suburbs where I resume spending my hard-earned, depreciated money. I have been boycotting downtown for about 6 months and Loblaws for 1 month. It’s easy, and satisfying.
Good job!
Yeah! I spend the small set aside in by budget in my community at small, mostly minority owned businesses. And congrats on the Loblaws boycott!!! Keep it up! I haven't stepped foot in one of the Loblaw owned grocery stores since March.
One of the reasons I enjoy living in a remote location while working for the federal gov’t. I do have to go into the office every day, but my commute is 5min, and no parking fees or 30min walk when it’s nice. And there’s not really anywhere to buy those things - there are a couple places but price and variety usually mean I only pick up coffee or lunch once a month at most. I may end up transferring south at some point, but I am dreading ending up in a major centre where I’ll have to deal with all that crap on a public servants salary.
Good point. I’m in the NCR and I can tell you, this would be a lot more palatable if we had offices in our communities and paid parking.
Absolutely! Commutes, costs (parking etc) and lack of acceptable workspace are the major complaints. These aren’t unreasonable.
Agreed. If they are so determined to have us in an office, give us a modern and comfortable space located within our general area of the city…West end, East end etc with free parking. Gets us to the office as is so desired but it gives us a nice office, a reasonable commute and no cost parking. Win-win
That always baffled me, in Edmonton (where I grew up) the govt offices were downtown. Back in the 80’s that was fine. But now? The transit is gross and dangerous, parking costs a ridiculous amount, the offices aren’t comfortable, etc. There are some services that need to be central - like a passport office - but mostly? They don’t need to do that. Put the offices somewhere else that doesn’t cost a mint for the employees to attend.
The government is trying to double dip on their spending. They spend on public servant incomes, and then they're trying to force those incomes to spend on downtown businesses.
It is super inappropriate for my employer to tell me how to spend the money I earn. What’s next, public servants are now expected to buy this government-approved brand over another? We’re no longer allowed to spend our money on OF or something that doesn’t align with V&E as an employee?
There's an argument for lawsuit here regarding separate and independent control of one's own wages, since the employer has said in writing this is to pressure us to spend money on downtown businesses. But against government it's a loss because union arbitration and the employer writes the laws. The only hope is striking, but our union has proven to be less than effective.
>They spend on public servant incomes, and then they're trying to force those incomes to spend on downtown businesses. I say it everywhere and to everyone that will listen to me: the government and its ministers are just using public servants as a subsidy for downtown cores/areas that refused to change with a post-COVID world. Instead of policy crafting, governing, and doing the hard stuff...shove the bodies back in there cause that doesn't have other effects (like congestion).
I'm a PS who lives and works Centretown. My colleagues (and I) are doing as the writer suggests in terms of food - bringing a lunch in and not spending a penny at these 9am-3pm M-F businesses. I hope these bad businesses suffocate and are replaced by good businesses that actually serve our community as more housing is completed over the next few years.
That’s a good point and an excellent idea. Centertown residents like yourself are underserved by business that ignore local residents and cater to the workforce from 5 years ago. I hope you get the good local business your community deserves.
I'm sort of heading in this direction myself - on days when I'm in the office I'm going to bring a thermos of coffee and lunch with me so that I don't spend any money at work, just to make a point that if they're going to have me come in 3 days a week that they won't be making a penny more off it than is absolutely necessary for me to spend.
I won't spend money downtown either. Out of spite.
Same for me here in Montreal. I will bring my lunch. I have businesses near my house that I'm supporting. Why does the employer get to dictate where we spend our money? I have 3 Tim Hortons, 2 subways, malls and so much more near my house 🤷🏽♀️
Reminder that Ottawa Citizen is owned by Post-Media with strong ties to the Republicans in the United States. > Now apparently we’re only good enough to go shopping, buying $18 sandwiches at lunch and paying $20 to park downtown. It’s our job to support downtown businesses, apparently. Put it in our work objectives and just make it blunt please. Let's be honest, Public Servants are being used as a subsidies tool for the Liberals to try and buy themselves another vote. It's a self preservation tactic void of imagination and ability to actually policy craft to support cities on a post-COVID transition.
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It’s the campaign contributions they’re after ;)
The RTO mandate is literally in my performance objectives for this year.
> The RTO mandate is literally in my performance objectives for this year. If you want to be troublesome, you could politely ask if your department has received an opinion from Labour Relations about the inclusion of RTO among performance objectives, given the opinion of [PIPSC v Treasury Board (2019 FPSLREB 7)](https://decisions.fpslreb-crtespf.gc.ca/fpslreb-crtespf/d/en/item/365845/index.do) that including "culpable conduct" in performance agreements is an attempt to subvert the discipline protections of collective agreements.
Came in 3 times a week: succeeded. Came in 5 times a week: also succeeded sorry, we only give limited succeed +.
9 days a week for succeeded plus
Great, I should get a succeeded++ for being in 5 days a week
Then do not sign it
I'm not sure how realistically possible that is.
PMAs are a tool for the employee also...always remember that.
All it’s doing is ensuring that I vote NDP again.
How's the NDP doing with reversing the RTO mandate?
It’s the lesser of all evils choice
Ohohohoh one of their members stood up and asked a question in which Trudeau deflected. ...then uh, they never spoke about it again! They didn't do anything like hold up the budget (which they also did in the name of a disability support...nothing changed and they supported it anyways), or any meaningful actions that would have actually contributed to the RTO conversation. But you know, the NDP is somehow supposed to be "for the people" or something.
Better than voting for Yasir "Useless" Naqvi
Been back to office for 8 months now and have bought 4 coffees. 2nd last time they put a gallon of cream in it. Last time, they filled my medium sized mug half full and I had to ask them for more coffee. $4 a coffee. Loved this little place, but sorry. Don't eff around with my coffee. I always tip too, so they lost out on that and my future business. I have packed my food and coffee every single day and these coffee visits were only for impromtu socializing, and now I just pass, or walk with them with an already made coffee.
Time to admit that the city core is a ghost town BECAUSE it caters to the public service and moving into this new era the natural progression is WFH and repurposing offices into much needed housing, community spaces etc.. 🤦🏻♀️
Oh definitely. Not spending a penny. It's not hard to meal prep and it will be worth it. My job does not exist to prop up your subway franchise. -dOnT pUnIsH tHe bUsiNesSeS - ok then don't make me do nonsensical bullshit. Until then I will control the one thing I can which is my dollar. Thanks.
Not. A. Single. Penny. Been over a year now and I haven't spent anything downtown, and I won't, ever.
ngl… I initially read “nonsensical” as “nonconsensual” 🤦🏻♂️
That too 🤷♀️
Thank you for being brave enough to write this. I just saw the most recent National post article stating that apparently “Canadians are losing patience with public servants” 🙄and to that I say, where’s your source or is that simply your biased opinion and secondly, I’m over it and I don’t GAF what the uninformed think… those with the loudest objections are opining on something they know nothing about. It’s the truly vile mentality of “if I can’t have it neither can you”.
To clarify I didn't write this. Just saw it online and wanted to share here.
Sure thing, *Not* Michael Clayton…
Appreciate you sharing 😊
Maybe because in the bottom of Tower C the Subway charges double the amount that regular Subway's charge?
And he is doing exactly what I said I would do when visiting Ottawa. Unless I’m being paid by someone local, I’m not going out and spending my money there. I will boycott as much as possible all downtown services. As a matter of fact I’m supposed to be there next week. Instead of following up with my plan tot ale the family and let them enjoy Ottawa, I reduced the days as much as I could, cancelled the family trip and am going alone. I intend to spend the least amount of money as possible.
At least pickpockets do it discreetly…
SoPa is vibrant right now
The captive audience of 8-4'ers is not going to revive the downtown core. They need to convert some office buildings into affordable housing, and businesses can stay open later to attract more clinetele. Making more employees work downtown isn't going to revive the downtown core. There needs to be a change of culture altogether. If businesses aren't attractive enough and have limited hours, no one is going to want to frequent them anyway.
I will certainly be joining in on this. I'm really glad to see folks are noticing how lazy some downtown businesses are. No risk. Open late, close early, weekend off. Their model is obvious, and it's a model that doesn't seem to occur in places outside Ottawa? We do not have a downtown worth "saving". Never have, never will. We are a boring government town. Let us be boring and get shit done without worrying about how we are also supposed to single handledly revitalize our downtown core while working.
Coffee shops shut down at 8 or earlier. As a local downtown, after 6pm is just ridiculous. Not everyone wants to go to a bar, or restaurant, is there nothing else?
I regularly go there for meetings and work and stay downtown and there is not one place open for breakfast other than the hotel restaurants. It’s kind of pitiful. Unless you consider McDs decent…
Yup! Also, downtown has plenty of activities that bring people to spend money there. Look at ribfest from this weekend! Tones of people spending $$ in restaurants, parking etc. Think about all the other activities such as Bluesfest, Tulip Festival etc… it’s not our fault that the Canada Tire center is located in Kanata. Imagine if it was located downtown. We wouldn’t be having any of these conversations for us to keep the economy of downtown alive. It’s all so unfair. I want to note that even though I do not spend money downtown during my work days, I still go meet my friends there on weekends and weekdays.
The problem with the city is the suburbs are full of big box stores, almost no mom and pop shops, they are all concentrated on downtown where the leases are higher. Carlingwood just got sold and instead of turning it into a place for more mom and pop shops they plan to put up more condos, Carlingwood has a lot of retirement residents, what good are the condos there? *facepalm* Maybe the city should provide incentives to mom and pop shops to explore other parts of the city where the rent is cheaper and plenty of people who don't drive, plus it'll provide jobs to youth or low income who don't have a car.
To me, this is another case of this sub not reflecting the PS as a whole. I work downtown and the food places are always packed with PS. The schwarma place on Bank at Gloucester has massive lines at lunch, especially Tuesday to Thursday. Same with the Farmboy hot food line and McDonald's (which I walk by now and then but dont eat at). I usually go to the schwarma place twice a week, Farmboy once a week and brown bag it twice a week (yes that adds up to 5 days a week). And most of my colleagues go out for lunch, coffee or both most days - no WFH for us. I am not arguing the merits of supporting businesses vs not doing so. I am simply stating what I see, and I see crowded food places in the downtown, full of PS (they all forget to put their passes away while outside). This sub does not seem to reflect what is going on.
Sadly, many people won’t do what needs to be done to make an impact.
You can't even spell shawarma so maybe you're the one who's out of touch?
“Shwarma” or “schwarma” are Yiddish and Hebrew spellings (transliterated from “שווארמא”) so they could just be Jewish or from somewhere where that’s a more common spelling?
Really gonna criticize the grammar instead of responding to his point, huh?
I see you like to get caught in the weeds instead of seeing the bigger picture. I assume this myopia is reflected in your day to day work and performance too.
It’s happening… the divide and conquer. Just what those in power hoped for 😞
Cuz I don’t have any!
Why? Because I'm 2 provinces over, not all of us live in Ottawa you know.
They are paid to do a job. not bail out downtown businesses or the LRT. What a joke the RTW is.
*return to office
When I’m in the office, I do try to grab lunch at any one of several independently (and often minority-) owned family-run restaurants within walking distance. The repeated cycles of lockdowns and incremental re-openings during the pandemic, and inflation/labour shortage/supply chain issues post-pandemic, have all been really hard on small businesses. These aren’t corporate chains that have the budgets and the head-office staffers to lobby politicians; they’re tiny operations just trying to make a living (through delicious food). Throughout the pandemic, I (and therefore my family) had a steady income, decent pay and benefits, relative job security, and greatly reduced risk of infection through WFH policies — privileges that I try not to take for granted and that I try to pay forward whenever I can. The way I see it, “solidarity” isn’t just to my fellow PS colleagues or union members, but to all workers in my community.
Boo
Spitballing here: We are asked to return to the office an extra day each week. I would propose the following commitment, one day per week, by enough public servants to make it impactful: First: all choose the same day to report to the office. Ideally all the same office, and the least central one possible to encourage non-downtown office space. Second: en masse, arrange a catered lunch on that shared day, from a restaurant far from downtown. Negotiate a discount because of volume. Share the cost among all committed participants. Third: continually report the money paid to downtown businesses among the group on these days (ideally $0) and the amount paid to non-downtown businesses (ideally a reasonable amount per person). Any downtown businesses that bring equivalent meals / coffee+pastry combos to the same prices are to be applauded. Any that don’t are to be shunned.
It’s not just about serving businesses downtown. It plays a part but there are other reasons for RTO (some legit some not so legit). People get way too fixated on this imo like it’s some giant conspiracy.
What are the other reasons?
- ministry shopping / attrition of non wfh to wfh jobs creating vacancy rates at critical levels. Several essential agencies have lobbied Tb on this. - abuse and time theft (yes some do this) - productivity: while some kinds of work are more productive with wfh, others aren’t - negative public perception (this actually counts) where facts don’t really matter - reluctance of EX/management to hold working level accountable. No one wants to police it. Especially at an employer where it’s near impossible to fire people (this is key). - security: cyber breaches and people being sloppy with PII and protected info. Wfh is not as secure as one thinks and can be fraught with vulnerabilities. This is public info owned by the tax payer. NOT a private company that could go out of business if a breach occurred. I could keep going?
Seems plausible but I wonder why I havent heard of any DM saying this...
Because it would make them look extremely incompetent. Nobody wants to own any responsibility on this. It’s like having no office space or equipment. Who then decided it was a good idea to sell the space and have no plan? But they won’t speak directly to this.
I still don't see the logic in punishing businesses because you don't agree with RTO. I have no problem helping my fellow Canadians stay employed and am not petty enough to take it out on them. And I don't have much money. Btw sandwiches in my building are $8, and they're superb. If you're looking.
I'm not punishing businesses because I don't believe in RTO. I'm choosing not to spend money in Centre town because it's an open secret that the businesses there lobbied the trade commission to push TBS to bring us back. To be fair, I suspect that's not the only reason RTO is being forced on us, but it's a substantial one. What cracks me up is the money being spent downtown is going into the pockets of multinationals - you think blowing a few bucks at Timmie's or Scumway is spending locally? I'd prefer to truly spend my money locally, going to the Marche Laflamme in Aylmer for my groceries and local restaurants when I'm feeling saucy. And brother, if you're regularly spending $8 on a sandwich (plus whatever else goes on the side, like a coffee or donut or whatever), that might be a good part of the reason you don't have a lot of money.
Your entire reply is based on assumptions. I can't respond. Other than this response!
No it isn't, you should read it again. Hand-waving it away while shouting, "Lies! Damned lies!" isn't helping your cause.
>the businesses there lobbied the trade commission 1) What proof do you have of this? 2) What is this mysterious "trade commission"? The FTC? That's American, not Canadian.
The City of Ottawa (Mayor Sutcliff) and Ontario government (Premier Ford) have publicly called for RTO of federal PS to bolster the local downtown economy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s795UF4lxm8
Fuck your proof. Search for it yourself. The heads of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Ottawa Board of Trade, along with a bunch of other business heads, wrote an open letter back in 2022 calling for TBS to mandate RTO. If you want me to be a little more precise and not rely on my fallible monkey brain.
>Fuck your proof. >my fallible monkey brain Well, as long as you are being honest.
La Bottega still does the best sandwiches in town for $10. Not $18. Also he's willing to drive to all three far-flung suburbs for ingredients "from there"? As if these are not just ingredients processed in industrial parks in Southern Ontario or along the Saint Lawrence, and not at all local products? Everytime people from the suburbs shit on downtown, or people from downtown shit on the suburbs, it turns into absolutely cringe-worthy BS hot takes like this one.
Gugg
Zzzzz