The Premier is calling on municipalities to follow its lead and have staff return to work; the City of Timmins adopted a work-from-home policy this year

TIMMINS – With the province forcing its workers to get back to the office, Premier Doug Ford is calling on municipalities to do the same. 

The City of Timmins already has a policy in place, which allows certain staff to work from home up to one day a week. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, government employees shifted to remote work.

Ontario announced last week that its public servants have to return to the office full-time by January 2026, though more than half are already required to be in the workplace full-time.

In Timmins, municipal staff are back in the office, but the work-from-home (WFH) policy allowing eligible staff to work at home once a week was adopted in January 2025.

It came after a pilot project that ran from June to December 2024.

“WFH policy can be seen as a recruitment/retention strategy. People are seeking flexibility and it goes a long way from an employee relations perspective. We regularly review our remote work policies to ensure best practice,” said Amanda Dyer, corporate communications co-ordinator, in an email.

In Sault Ste. Marie, their staff are also back to the office or working a hybrid schedule.