COVID's impact on the future of work - Downtown 2030?

[Coldrsx]

City welcomes new Community Peace Officers
November 27, 2025

Nineteen new Peace Officers are ready to serve and protect communities across Alberta following today’s Community Peace Officer Induction Program (CPOIP) graduation ceremony at City Hall.

A number of graduates from the class will join the City of Edmonton as Transit Peace Officers, supporting community safety within the city’s transit system and downtown areas. Others will serve with partner organizations and municipalities across the province, including MacEwan University, Covenant Health, the counties of Vermilion River and Grande Prairie, the Town of Blackfalds and the Special Areas Boards.

“Congratulations to our new Peace Officer graduates. You embody our city's shared commitment to public safety and collaboration,” said Mayor Andrew Knack. “Peace Officers are vital to ensuring safety across our downtown and transit system. Their dedication helps Edmontonians enjoy public spaces and build stronger communities.”

“These graduates have chosen an honourable path of public service,” said David Jones, Chief Bylaw Officer and Branch Manager, Community Standards. “Their success is the result of hard work, dedication and a shared commitment to community safety. As they begin their careers, I encourage them to continue learning from one another and from the people they serve, because great public safety work is always rooted in collaboration and respect.”

The new Peace Officers completed a rigorous seven-week training program that combined classroom learning with hands-on field instruction in public safety, enforcement, communication and community engagement, ensuring they are well prepared to serve and protect.

Community Peace Officers play a vital role in maintaining safe, welcoming and vibrant public spaces. The City continues to recruit candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences to reflect the communities they serve and to strengthen its culture of safety, integrity and inclusion.
For more information:
edmonton.ca/EnforcementOfficers

Media contact:
Jyllian Park
Communications Advisor
Community Services

[Coldrsx]

Great to see/hear.

https://www.benefitscanada.com/canadian-...tate-investment-momentum-in-2026-expert/

[feepa]

forcing people to commute is great to see/hear? LOL Sold to the corporate slaves.

[Slide]

I gained so much by no longer being forced into a commute. Of course the associated costs (insurance, parking, gas, transit etc...) but the best thing i gained was time. I love being able to make myself lunch at home and then going for a walk outside. I get an extra hour or 2 of sleep. I am not dead at the end of the day. It offered a sense of freedom i didnt realize how starved i was for lol

My friend's employer recently has them coming in 3 times a week, moving to an eventual full time return to work. He is now looking for work elsewhere that offers the remote work option. It's definitely become a deal breaker for most people i know.

I guess good news for commercial landlords and tim hortons

[Hallsy's Toupee]

I've been working from home for about 5 years now, and I prefer to keep it that way. I love being to able to work in my own living room in just my hoodie, jeans and slippers, and I love being able to make lunch in my own kitchen. I don't miss having to dress up in business casual and having to walk to a downtown office. I miss the camaraderie with my co-workers, but then again I'm in contact with them via Microsoft Teams. I live near downtown, so it's just a 10 minute walk for me to go to the gym, the food courts, restaurants, coffee shops, shopping centres, medical/dental clinics, Churchill Square, the RAM, ICE District, 4th St Promenade, and the LRT. The river valley is almost on my doorstep, therefore I can utilize the walking and bike trails after work.

[s211]

I'm stuck by how much the tone of the WFH crowd is all I I I, me me me, myself, etc.

[Slide]

^i've noticed that too. Their desire to prioritize their life and wellbeing is selfish and misguided. How can we help them see that spending 8 hours of their day, 5 days a week to sit in a dank office and take calls creates a barely thriving downtown and insures long-term stability for commercial landlords is more important than themselves.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by s211

I'm stuck by how much the tone of the WFH crowd is all I I I, me me me, myself, etc.

Won't somebody please think of the REITS!

[YegFan]

Originally Posted by Slide

^i've noticed that too. Their desire to prioritize their life and wellbeing is selfish and misguided. How can we help them see that spending 8 hours of their day, 5 days a week to sit in a dank office and take calls creates a barely thriving downtown and insures long-term stability for commercial landlords is more important than themselves.

As a business owner with staff in three locations, I can say with 110% certainty after a few years of hybrid work arrangement, that mistakes tend to happen much more while work is being done at home. Things get done faster and more accurately in the office than remote.

Yes it is more convenient for staff - no questions.

So every business owner or manager has to decide how much less efficiency they are willing to tolerate while somehow please their employees. Hybrid model works best.

[Harrison]

I wonder how many people that are so bent on full-time in the office have young children at home. I do and am on hybrid and it's much easier to balance work/life with a young one then if I was forced to be in 5 days a week from 9-5 everyday. I still go in around 4 days a week (because I like my office/coworkers) but having the option to reduce that if needed is great (such as if I had a sick kid at home and neede to work from home for a day or two).

[feepa]

Originally Posted by s211

I'm stuck by how much the tone of the WFH crowd is all I I I, me me me, myself, etc.

I'm struck by how much the tone of the landlords and REITs are my profit, my profit, my profits... all because society found more efficient ways to be and we all dont need to do the commute thing.

I suspect my post is already ignored by your naivety.

[feepa]

Originally Posted by YegFan

As a business owner with staff in three locations, I can say with 110% certainty after a few years of hybrid work arrangement, that mistakes tend to happen much more while work is being done at home. Things get done faster and more accurately in the office than remote.

Yes it is more convenient for staff - no questions.

So every business owner or manager has to decide how much less efficiency they are willing to tolerate while somehow please their employees. Hybrid model works best.

bullshit. 1000% You're just an old school boss who only judges performance by hours spent in a chair, rather than any other realistic metric.

What a load of baloney.

[CMD UW]

Originally Posted by feepa

forcing people to commute is great to see/hear? LOL Sold to the corporate slaves.

If your employer requires you, "the employee", to come to the office that's their rule. If said employee doesn't like this rule, no one is making them stay.

[Coldrsx]

Back to pre-pandemic vacancy rates.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-office-vacancy-rates-9.7039150

[YegFan]

Originally Posted by feepa

bullshit. 1000% You're just an old school boss who only judges performance by hours spent in a chair, rather than any other realistic metric.

What a load of baloney.

It's not a load of baloney..You try and run a business and then assess which model is more efficient. As an employee, you think about what is comfortable to you and your lifestyle. We think about the overall success of the business. We measure and track and we base decisions on actual KPIs.

Not every business is meant to be remote.

[feepa]

Originally Posted by CMD UW

If your employer requires you, "the employee", to come to the office that's their rule. If said employee doesn't like this rule, no one is making them stay.

uhh you missed the point.

Sure, that’s the employer’s right—but let’s not pretend it’s that simple. Employees also have the right to choose companies that value flexibility and modern work practices. Forcing office attendance doesn’t automatically equal better performance; it often just adds unnecessary stress and wasted time. The best businesses adapt to attract and retain top talent, not cling to outdated rules. If your only argument is ‘don’t like it, leave,’ that says more about the culture than the policy.

[feepa]

Originally Posted by YegFan

It's not a load of baloney..You try and run a business and then assess which model is more efficient. As an employee, you think about what is comfortable to you and your lifestyle. We think about the overall success of the business. We measure and track and we base decisions on actual KPIs.

Not every business is meant to be remote.

I get that businesses need to measure efficiency, but hours in a chair isn’t the same as productivity. KPIs should reflect outcomes, not just presence. Remote work isn’t about comfort—it’s about leveraging flexibility to deliver results. Plenty of companies have proven that remote or hybrid models can outperform traditional setups when managed correctly. The real question isn’t ‘remote vs. office,’ it’s whether your metrics truly measure value created, not time spent.

[feepa]

Originally Posted by YegFan

As a business owner with staff in three locations, I can say with 110% certainty after a few years of hybrid work arrangement, that mistakes tend to happen much more while work is being done at home. Things get done faster and more accurately in the office than remote.

Yes it is more convenient for staff - no questions.

So every business owner or manager has to decide how much less efficiency they are willing to tolerate while somehow please their employees. Hybrid model works best.

Mistakes happen everywhere—remote or in-office. The real issue is whether processes and tools are optimized for distributed work. Many companies have proven that remote teams can be just as accurate, if not more, when supported by proper systems. Faster in-office doesn’t always mean better; sometimes it just means less flexibility and higher burnout. Efficiency isn’t about location—it’s about clarity, accountability, and the right tech stack. If hybrid works best for your business, great—but that doesn’t make remote inherently less efficient. It just means your current setup favors in-office work.

[CMD UW]

Originally Posted by feepa

uhh you missed the point.

Sure, that’s the employer’s right—but let’s not pretend it’s that simple. Employees also have the right to choose companies that value flexibility and modern work practices. Forcing office attendance doesn’t automatically equal better performance; it often just adds unnecessary stress and wasted time. The best businesses adapt to attract and retain top talent, not cling to outdated rules. If your only argument is ‘don’t like it, leave,’ that says more about the culture than the policy.

Your employer makes the rules. You either like them or you don't. How you wish to deal with them is entirely up to you. If your employer has an expectation to be back in the office 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 days/week that's their call. You don't like it, deal with it. WFH is not a right, it's a privilege depending on who you work for.

[Harrison]

Originally Posted by CMD UW

Your employer makes the rules. You either like them or you don't. How you wish to deal with them is entirely up to you. If your employer has an expectation to be back in the office 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 days/week that's their call. You don't like it, deal with it. WFH is not a right, it's a privilege depending on you work for.

Agreed, unless the employer says otherwise, WFH (even hybrid) is not a guarantee.