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Barrhaven commuters say they would rather work from home

It has been a big adjustment for local workers heading back downtown to their offices and workplaces for the first time in nearly three years.

After a couple of weeks, the overwhelming consensus seems to be that Barrhaven residents would rather be working from home, spending money at local businesses, and not sitting on a bus or in a car for hours every day.

There were many factors facing those returning to downtown workplaces. What would the roads be like to drive? What would parking be like? What would the buses be like? What should I wear? Will the internet at the office be up to date?

The return to work is a hybrid and gradual model for most. Many federal public servants are returning to a workplace that now includes shared work spaces and has them in the office two to three days per week.

The commute on Monday, Jan. 16 was slushy, slippery and bumper-to-bumper on the 417.

The Barrhaven Independent reached out to local residents on Fa- cebook to see what their thoughts on getting back to commuting to work. The time spent commuting was one of the main issues. And if commuters are only going in twice a wrote Jeff Orange. “What I would spend on transportation, parking, Please note: The Ontario Community Newspapers Association provides services in English. Member newspapers published in other languages may not have access to association programs such as General Excellence Awards. Applicants and member newspapers bear OCNA’s cost to read and spot week, should they drive and pay for parking, or should they get a bus pass? counting cancelled routes every other bus, broken trains and detours, plus weather related slowdowns) and another two home, transfers into additional working hours,” BARRHAVEN Year 33 • issue 3 F r ee www.barrhavenindependent.ca F r idaY • F e bruarY 3 • 2023 coffee, meals out, all gets redirected locally.” commuters continues from page 1

Orange added that government offices and buildings should not be limited to downtown Ottawa, and that businesses and restaurants in the suburbs are just as important as those in the city core.

“There’s more than just downtown businesses,” he wrote. “The government was never intended to be centrally located. It’s the reason places like Tunney’s Pasture, and Riverside offices exist. Work locations should be spread across the city from Kanata to Orleans, with flex spaces in every building, allowing staff who do need to be in an office an option to pick to work closer to home.

“Downtown businesses cannot hold government responsible for their livelihoods. No one tied them to a lifelong lease work- ing downtown. Most are just renting space. They can easily adapt to new methods of business, relocate, and do just as well if not better. Restaurants would make more money in an area like Barrhaven or Kanata than they would downtown anyhow.”

Ray Waites, one of the strongest and most positive voices fore Barrhaven on Facebook, also implies that it is not up to the residents of Barrhaven to salvage the downtown business community. Waites runs the Barrhaven News, Safety, Events & More Facebook page.

“If they are true entrepreneurs they will reinvent themselves, move to Barrhaven,” Waites wrote. “That’s how businesses work. They aren’t a guarantee. And it’s certainly not the federal government employees’ responsibility to float them, in my humble opinion.”

Barrhaven Facebook user Brillinta Leon says that transportation and commuting issues are not limited to federal civil servants.

“Transportation affects everyone,” she wrote. “(It doesn’t matter if) you are a Fed employee or not, we the citizens of Ottawa don’t have a reliable means of transportation here in the capital. Why (does the city have) to be focused on downtown for everything? I love the concept of live, work and enjoy our community. If you have the chance to work in the community where you live regardless of what you do, why not?”

Todd Soden wrote that having employees working from home is good for them and good for the community.

“The fact that a lot of feds can work from should actually be beneficial to the general public,” he wrote. “Think of it. Your taxes are paying for the building these public servants work out of. If more can work from home a lot of these buildings could be repurposed for other things, like affordable housing.”

Sandra Ieradi weighed in on the topic as a commuter who has been travelling from Barrhaven to downtown throughout the pandemic.

“I’ve been working on site the whole time,” she said. “I totally support the flexibility and option for hybrid. My commute was definitely impacted. If the status quo was working why did they change it ! What about the businesses in the suburbs that relied on all those remote workers.”

Once at the office, there are a myriad of things that will have to work themselves out. What will the longterm hybrid model look like, assuming there will be one? Workers also have to adjust to new workspace sharing arrangements.

“Those problems will work themselves out fairly quickly,” one local resident who wished to not be named told the Independent. “It was chaos when we got in the first couple days, but things will work themselves out once we get into a routine. But even though that stuff will be okay, it will still be hell getting downtown and back no matter which way we choose to commute. It makes us appreciate that extra two or three hours in the day spent not commuting on the days we can work from home.”

Monday morning Jan. 16, heavy traffic and slick roads made for an even longer than expected commute into downtown.

The cost of commuting is also much higher than it was in 2020. For those going in on a modified schedule, it brought new questions pitting money against time.

“ (it) seems like a lot of folks justify the costs of parking/gas going in two days a weeks vs. a monthly bus pass, and majority prefer to drive in and pay for parking,” Jessica Vis commented. “Just based on cars on the road, it almost seems busier than pre-pandemic. (It) would likely change if it was mandated four-five days a week.”