"$56"-*5 4r/&84 UCPR REVIEWS FEDERAL BACK-TO-OFFICE POLICY GREGG CHAMBERLAIN nouvelles@eap.on.ca
outside of Ottawa and other urban centres and have to commute to work. The UCPR will forward its resolution recommending a more flexible back-to-the- office policy to the federal treasury board, MPDBMBOESFHJPOBM.1T UIF&BTUFSO0OUBSJP 8BSEFOT$BVDVT UIF3VSBM0OUBSJP.VOJDJQBM Association, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Now that the pandemic is over the federal government wants all of its employees back in their offices and the UCPR worries how that might affect people who live in Prescott and Russell but work in Ottawa. Casselman Mayor Geneviève Lajoie, with support from Russell Township Mayor Mike 5BSOPXTLJ JOUSPEVDFEB/PUJPOPG.PUJPO during the March 27 session of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) council. The motion is tabled for discussion at the April session of council after all the eight mayors have had a chance to review it. The focus of the motion in on the federal government’s new workplace policy for fede- ral employees that takes effect this year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal employees were allowed to work from home if their jobs allowed that option, rather than be in their offices, to maintain the nation-wide lockdown and other public health measures taken to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infec- UJPO/PXUIFQBOEFNJDJTPWFSBOEUIF COVID-19 vaccine is available, so the federal government now wants its employees to return to their offices for their work. Lajoie’s and Tarnowski’s motion to UCPR council concerns the potential impact of the federal back-to-the-office workplace policy on Prescott and Russell residents who work in Ottawa and now face daily commutes to and from their workplace. These federal
Les Comtés unis de Prescott et Russell (CUPR) estime que la politique de retour au bureau mise en place par le gouvernement fédéral pour sa fonction publique, maintenant que la pandémie est terminée, est injuste envers les fonctionnaires fédéraux qui vivent en dehors d’Ottawa par rapport à ceux qui résident dans la ville. (Gregg Chamberlain, (EAP)
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extra costs and problems they would face with daily commuting. The motion noted that some of these residents may also be members of a com- munity volunteer fire department and many are allowed to leave work when there is an emergency call. The concern is the federal back-to-the-office policy “may reduce daytime volunteer availability” if these volunteers are unavailable to respond because they are at work in Ottawa. UCPR staff are directed to present detailed report for UCPR council that includes recommendations on preparing “a concise regional impact summary”about the federal back-to-the-office policy, dealing with the effect on the regional workforce, potential economic impact, effect on existing community services, including volunteer emergency services, and suggestions on how the federal government could modify its back-to-the-office policy to allow some flexibility for federal employees who live
employees “face distince transportation rea- lities” that include long hourly commutes to and from their workplace and home, dealing with traffic congestion during “rush hour” periods, and the cost of gasoline for the amount of commuting they have to do to get to work compared to federal employees who live in Ottawa and have public transit options they can use. The motion before UCPR council notes that could have an impact on employment and income profiles for Prescott and Russell. Most residents whose jobs are in Ottawa prefer the more rural lifestyle of the Prescott- Russell region. The federal policy could reduce the chances of more Prescott and Russell residents working at high-paying federal government jobs if they have to travel to Ottawa to work, and there also may be fewer people living in Ottawa who work for the federal government considering moving to Prescott and Russell to live because of the
MOTEURS D’ASCENSEUR La Fondation de la résidence Prescott et Russell pourra augmenter le nombre de moteurs d’ascenseur disponibles pour la nouvelle résidence Prescott et Russell. Ces moteurs, qui font partie des équipements essentiels de l’établis- sement, amélioreront la sécurité et la mobilité des résidents et réduiront les risques de blessures pour le personnel dans l’exercice de ses fonctions quoti- diennes au sein de cet établissement de soins de longue durée. La Fondation Prescott et Russell avait recueilli 250 000 $ au cours de la première année de sa campagne « Élévez-moi !», ce qui avait permis l’achat de 97 moteurs d’ascenseur. Grâce à une nouvelle collecte de 258 544 $, 100 moteurs d’ascenseur supplémentaires seront acquis pour la résidence. - Gregg Chamberlain
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