City of Toronto workers to start heading back to the office next week

City of Toronto workers will start heading back to the office next week.

In a statement issued Wednesday, City officials said that workers will begin returning to offices on Tuesday under a “hybrid model.”

Office spaces will be opened to allow for maximum capacity based on health guidelines, the statement said.

Office workers make up about 20 per cent of the City of Toronto’s total workforce. They transitioned to remote work when the COVID-19 pandemic began, while 80 per cent of City employees continued to work on-site, officials noted.

Starting on March 21, a “full return to office” will take effect, while city council and committee meetings will transition to a hybrid model, allowing for members to attend either virtually or in-person.

Also beginning next Tuesday, select in-person counter services at city hall and civic centres will reopen.

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All health and safety regulations will be followed in the reopening plans, officials said.

“We are moving ahead with safely opening up city hall and the civic centres because we have made great progress helping people get vaccinated to confront COVID-19 and the Omicron surge,” Toronto Mayor John Tory said in the statement.

“Opening City buildings to the community and reopening offices, in a safe and responsible manner, is another example of the work underway to return to a more active and thriving city.”