Ottawa Board of Trade warns of worsening downtown economy as federal cuts loom
Sueling Ching authored an op-ed in the Globe and Mail this week, saying the federal government has a responsibility to show leadership and transparency about its plans for workers and federal properties that occupy the heart of Ottawa.
'Let us be clear: this is not a call to drag public servants back to the office or to cling to aging buildings for sentiment's sake. It is a call for leadership, transparency and accountability from the federal government to the city it depends on, and to the capital that belongs to every Canadian,' Ching wrote in the Globe and Mail.
Finance Minister François Philippe Champagne sent letters to fellow cabinet ministers on July 7 stating that they must present plans to find 15 per cent in day-to-day operational savings in their respective departments over the next three years. Crown corporations such as the National Capital Commission, the CBC, and Via Rail have also been asked to find similar savings.
Speaking on CTV Morning Live on Wednesday, Ching said the federal government is an anchor employer in the capital, with more than 150,000 federal workers calling the National Capital Region home.
'The main economy in Ottawa has been the federal public service and we have benefited largely from that for a long time,' she said. 'When the pandemic hit five years ago and we went to work from home, that really disproportionately impacted our downtown core. It impacted many of the large city downtown cores but particularly us because of the federal government's return to office strategy.'
The vacancy rate in downtown Ottawa was 15 per cent in the second quarter of 2025, according to a recent CBRE report. Some buildings are being converted to housing, such as a former Department of National Defence building at the corner of Slater and O'Connor streets, but a federal auditor general's report notes that the government has been slow to implement its plan to downsize its office footprint.
Ching says her piece in the Globe and Mail is intended to highlight the need to work closely with the federal government on plans for Ottawa's downtown.
'If we get too far down the road about not being intentional about how we transform the city core of the nation's capital, then it will be more difficult to come back,' she said.
'In addition, with a new government and their ambitious mandate and desire to work closely with the business communities across the country, this is an opportune time for us to talk about how federal government decision making can, through policy, transform our downtown in a meaningful way that is very much aligned with our national agenda.'
Proposed cuts to federal departments will also likely mean job losses, Ching says, which would further reduce the once regular foot traffic downtown Ottawa used to see.
'So many of those jobs are concentrated in Ottawa, we know so many of their buildings are concentrated in Ottawa, so what we're really asking for is a very defined and enforced workforce strategy,' said Ching. 'We're not saying you have to bring everyone back; we're saying you have to be really transparent about what that plan is. You have to be accelerating and disposing of those assets very quickly and clearly and looking for opportunities such as bringing a concentration of, for example, defence to Ottawa to help diversify the economy.'
Defence is one of the few sectors the government plans to grow. Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced plans to reach NATO's defence and security spending target of two per cent of GDP by the end of this year and up to five per cent of GDP by 2035.
'We really need to focus on what is within our control,' says Ching. 'We need to build confidence in our own economy and look for ways to grow our own economy. We need to be very clear in our shared vision, all working towards the same goal, and working collaboratively, every level of government and the business community.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
Oakville dad, 34, came from humble beginnings, now makes $250,000 in tech marketing
Name, age: Clay, 34 Annual income: $250,000 from job, $15,000 from side hustle teaching online business courses Debt: $700,000 on mortgage Savings: $20,000 in savings account, $125,000 in tax-free savings account (TFSA), $350,000 between him and his wife in registered retirement savings plan (RRSP), $16,500 in registered education savings plan (RESP), $170,000 between the two of them in non-registered accounts and individual stocks What he does: Marketing in technology Where he lives: Oakville, Ont. Top financial concern: 'Layoffs. I am in an industry where I work on [artificial intelligence] and I know where this is headed. I think it's inevitable I will be laid off.' Clay came to Canada with his parents when he was around 10 and had a humble start here, living in a rental unit in Regent Park in Toronto. 'My parents struggled in the beginning,' he says. 'I remember going to Goodwill, and picking up mattresses from the sidewalk to sleep on.' Clay added he doesn't want his own child to face the same obstacles. He and his family have done well since then. Clay's dad was a computer engineer in their former country, and was able to resume that career once he was proficient in English. Clay went to business school and now makes $250,000 in total compensation from his marketing job in the technology sector. He, his wife and their new baby live in a 2,000-square-foot detached home in Oakville, an upscale part of the Greater Toronto Area. What does it cost to raise a kid? That depends on how much parents earn Clay acknowledges that many CEOs tend to live in Oakville but says that isn't the case where he lives with his family. 'It's a pretty modest home,' he says. Even still, the couple bought their house early in the pandemic when the market was booming, at a price of $1.3-million. Clay considers their $700,000 mortgage to be 'large,' but says they have focused on investing rather than aggressively paying down their mortgage. 'The math tells us we are better off investing the extra cash,' he says. Clay is also looking into leveraging a home equity line of credit to invest and save on taxes. The couple hasn't done any major renovations to their home yet and are holding off because they are considering upgrading to a newer house in the future. A lot of their expenses are in a holding pattern, Clay explains, thanks to the new baby and the resulting adjustment to their lifestyle. He and his wife were already homebodies, but the baby has amplified that tendency and reduced or eliminated major parts of their budget, such as travel, he says. 'This used to be a top annual expense when we traveled abroad between two and four times a year,' Clay says. 'We use credit card points to pay for our travels and have saved almost $100,000 in flights and hotels. We don't plan to travel with the new baby so will continue to accumulate points.' Clay's wife makes about $130,000 annually when working but is taking an extended maternity leave right now to care for their child. When she returns to work, the couple plans to send their child to a Montessori daycare that costs $2,000 a month. Clay is thankful for their lifestyle, acknowledging that his good fortune is a mixture of timing, luck, and thorough preparation and savings. He feels the current cost of living would make it much harder for a new immigrant family to thrive in the way his did. 'Our story would be very different, and part of me just feels sad,' he says. Investment and savings: $5,191 $1,100 to pension. 'Defined contribution pension, company matches up to $7,000 per year.' $2,200 to company stock and savings $583 to TFSA. 'We contribute to the max in January.' $1,100 to RRSP. 'I do a lump sum of about $10,000 to $15,000 to max my annual contribution.' $208 to RESP. 'Will contribute the $2,500 per year for the next 14 years to get the annual government grant.' Servicing debt: $3,500 $3,500 to mortgage. 'Will jump to about $4,200 a month when we renew.' Household and transportation: $1,595 $550 on property tax $300 on utilities $80 on gasoline. 'Since my wife started her mat leave and I work from home, this has gone down.' $242 on car insurance $38 on car maintenance. 'Two vehicles: oil change, tire swaps.' $125 on road tolls. 'Highway 407 fees for when we visit the grandparents.' $170 on cell phones. 'Both of us, with phone leases.' $90 on internet Food and drink: $1,600 $1,000 on groceries. 'We definitely spend a lot on organic meats and vegetables at places like Whole Foods. We do stock up when things are on sale.' $600 on restaurants. 'We do takeout on Friday and Saturday. With the baby, we stopped going to a sit-down restaurant.' Miscellaneous: $5,570 $5,000 on income tax, Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan $40 on streaming services. 'Netflix Standard with ads, YouTube Premium.' $100 on clothing $40 on gym membership $200 on baby stuff. 'Diapers, books, toys and clothing.' $40 on haircuts $50 on cosmetics $100 on gifts. 'The extended family is growing, so more gifts for birthdays and celebrations.' Some details may be changed to protect the privacy of the person profiled. We want to thank them for sharing their story. Are you a millennial who would like to participate in a paycheque profile? Send us an e-mail.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
LeBlanc says he expects Carney, Trump to talk 'over the next couple of days'
Social Sharing Dominic LeBlanc says he expects Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump will have a conversation with each other "over the next couple of days" as Canada tries to find a way out of a 35 per cent blanket tariff on exports to the U.S. "We believe there's a great deal of common ground between the United States and Canada in terms of building two strong economies that work well together," said LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, on CBS's Face The Nation. LeBlanc left Washington earlier this week without a deal, but he told host Margaret Brennan he came out of discussions "with a better understanding of the American concerns in the trading relationship…. So we're prepared to stick around and do the work needed." Few Canadian goods subject to new rate On Friday just after midnight, Canada's tariff rate rose to 35 per cent following a Trump executive order that criticized Canada's "lack of co-operation" in curbing the flow of fentanyl southward and for retaliating against Trump's existing tariffs. But only a very small number of Canadian products will actually be subjected to that rate — specifically goods not covered by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, which governs trade between the three countries. WATCH | LeBlanc insists there wasn't a good deal before Trump's Aug. 1 deadline: No trade deal with U.S. better than a bad one, LeBlanc says 2 days ago LeBlanc told Brennan that Canada was "obviously disappointed" by Trump's decision to raise the tariff rate. In a separate interview on Face The Nation, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Canada was the only country aside from China to retaliate against Trump's tariffs. "If the president is going to take an action and the Canadians retaliate, the United States needs to maintain the integrity of our action — the effectiveness — so we have to go up," Greer told Evans. Trump tariffs face legal challenge When asked whether Canada should drop its countertariffs, LeBlanc cited Ottawa's 25 per cent countertariff on U.S. steel and aluminum imports. "There's a 50 per cent tariff when we want to sell [steel] into the United States, so effectively we're blocked from doing that. But the national security interest of Canada requires we have a viable steel and aluminum sector." Trump invoked his 35 per cent levy using a law that allows the U.S. president to take emergency economic measures to "deal with any unusual and extraordinary threat" to national security. That tariff is facing a legal challenge that has now reached a federal appeals court, putting it further along in the U.S. court system than any other tariff lawsuit.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Advance voting underway in provincial byelection in Arthabaska
Electors in the provincial riding of Arthabaska are taking part in advance polling starting today ahead of a byelection on Aug. 11. Voters will be able to cast a ballot today and Monday and will have at least 10 candidates from which to chose in the hotly contested riding previously held by the governing Coalition Avenir Québec. The main fight seems to pit the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, Eric Duhaime, and Parti Québécois candidate Alex Boissonneault. The Coalition is running Keven Brasseur in attempt to hold the riding, while the Opposition Quebec Liberals and Quebec solidaire are also running candidates. The byelection was triggered after the departure of Eric Lefebvre, who left the Quebec government to run federally and was elected in the April election as an MP for Richmond-Arthabaska with the Conservative Party of Canada. The riding was easily won by Lefebvre in October 2022, when he captured 51.75 per cent of votes, finishing more than 12,000 votes ahead of his closest rival.
