Walking the Talk: Aligning City Staff and Council's Remote Work Policy — Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities, February 25, 2026

Motion 4 Carried

Summary

Proposed by Councillor Maloney to align council's own attendance expectations with the return-to-office policy recently applied to city staff, as a show of solidarity and leadership.
Councillor Maloney clarified the motion does not direct HR policy (which is the city manager's domain) but sets expectations for elected officials, who should model the same standard asked of staff.
An amendment by Councillor Kirby-Yung removed a requirement for councillors to seek approval from the city clerk for absences, recognizing that councillors are not employees and are accountable to voters, not staff.
Councillor Zhou raised a factual question about whether the return-to-office directive applied to all staff; staff confirmed it applied to exempt staff (about 15% of the workforce) and restricted remote days for unionized office staff.
Councillor Maloney clarified the "restricting" language in the motion was accurate because unionized staff also had their remote work flexibility reduced.
The motion as amended passed unanimously.