Average weekly - 73%
Peak Day - Wednesday 86%
Low Day - Friday 44%
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Impact of Remote Work on Cities and Congestion.
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January 24th 9:30 to 12:30.
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November closed out with modest increase in peak day occupancy. As stated in the last Index, December is a month when consistent data is difficult to obtain and the return to the office is normally reduced due to statutory and personal holidays. As a result, we will not publish the Index for the month of December. Late November trends and interviews continue to suggest that the upward trend in occupancy in 2025 will be maintained. The next Index will feature the post holiday data and be published in early February.
Enjoy this week’s Articles of Interest.
Your SRRA team
Links to Articles of Interest
Money Talks. So Does Status. Why Desire to Get Promoted is Driving a Return to the Office
“People missed out on promotions because they weren’t seen,” insists a high-profile Canadian CEO. The bottom line, he suggests is that “workers need to be visible in the office to advance their careers.” He also believes that employers “are becoming more forceful about requiring staff to work in-person.” The CEO in question is in “constant communication with employers such as banks and other financial-services firms. He is hearing that CEOs “want their employees back in-person.”
Return to the Office Gaining Momentum Surveys of Canadian CEOs Suggest
Although the headlines usually focus on dramatic statements by high profile companies like Amazon, the reality is that the day-to-day chore of rebuilding company culture by persuading employees that the best results come from in-person collaboration. Surveys of Canadian CEOs suggests that progress is quietly is taking place in many small and medium companies.
New York’s Journey With Congestion Pricing Begins…
Much has been said about the pros and cons of congestion pricing as a solution in Toronto. But after years of on again off again decisions on whether to proceed with congestion price in New York the big day has arrived. In anticipation of the launch of congestion pricing in New York City, this article presents a well-balanced outline of what it will mean for commuters and travellers alike in that city. The assumption of course is that there are options for most commuters that are better than paying the charge – underscoring the need for Toronto to keep adding to its transit network.
One Manhattan Resident Who Supports a Congestion Charge
Focusing on the post-pandemic impact of increased car traffic – and higher pedestrian casualties – a local says he is willing to pay his share to help deter car trips to one of the world’s busiest core areas. Despite continuing threats to its implementation and the strong likelihood that the incoming president will remove the congestion charge, it was implemented as planned on January 5, 2025. (But editors, pleeeease stop referring to Robert Moses as a city planner.)
Thinking On Top of the Box to Address Congestion
Swiss engineers have invented a novel way to avoid highway congestion during routine maintenance. With the help of two large trucks, a mobile bridge is put in place to allow traffic to drive up then down while repairs are made below the bridge. So simple but it works!
Is Remote Work Being Used to Reward Higher Paid Staff?
A recent study in the U.S. concludes that higher paid workers aspire to and receive a better range of work from home privileges from employers. According to a Stanford economist, days devoted to remote work by lower paid staff have dropped by 16 per cent over the past year while their higher paid colleagues continue to work from home on a more regular basis, with a drop in remote days of only five per cent.
Toronto Housing Starts Can’t Match Those in Other Cities
Despite lots of hot air blowing out of Queen’s Park exhorting municipalities and builders to create more housing, the latest cross-country comparison suggests that places like Edmonton are outpacing high priced, constrained economies like Toronto’s.
You Can Bring a Horse to Water, But…TOD Not In Longueil’s Future Right Now
A decaying suburban mall sits nearly empty in a community on Montreal’s south shore, frustrating the mayor and others who see it as a golden opportunity to redevelop Complex Cousineau. With a newly constructed light rail connection from the south short to downtown Montreal, demand for housing is inching upwards and sites like this mall are “crying out” for redevelopment says the mayor of Longueil. But the owner won’t even return phone calls to the municipality, telling the Globe that it his right as a property owner to let it sit virtually empty.
“The Occupancy Index is supported by the City of Toronto, Downtown Yonge BIA, and Downtown West BIA. It is a measure of the percentage of office employees returning to the office compared to the number of employees who would normally have come to their offices pre-COVID. For a detailed description of the calculation please contact Iain Dobson at [email protected],”