Unions push for Alternative Work Arrangements (AWAs) during FIFA World Cup
Ontario’s government has begun widely rejecting remote and alternative work arrangement requests from civil servants.
Leaders in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) have been reviewing Alternative Work Arrangement (AWA) applications and have started issuing decisions, with more responses expected in the coming weeks, according to a report by CP24.
The review follows a directive issued in January ordering most OPS employees back to the office five days a week. Prior to that order, thousands of OPS staff were allowed to work from home at least part‑time, as they did during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Mass denials and union response
OPSEU – which represents around 200,000 Ontario government employees – says its members have submitted about 10,000 AWA applications since the full return‑to‑office order took effect, according to CP24. AWA requests include fully remote work, working from a different government location, or adjusted hours of work.
Union officials say most of those applications have been rejected. “We’ve been hearing from our members in the OPS that they’ve been receiving blanket rejection letters for the alternative work arrangements requesting for hybrid work,” Chris Eckert, chair of OPSEU’s OPS Unified Central Employee Relations Committee, told CP24.com.
AMAPCEO – which represents more than 17,000 professionals across government – reported a similar pattern. “Of the roughly 5,500+ requests AMAPCEO members have submitted, there have been somewhere in the neighbourhood of 250 responses, and about 90 per cent of those responses have been outright denials with little to no rationale,” the union said in an email to CP24.com.
Unions told CP24 they argue that AWA arrangements, particularly remote work, support work–life balance and mental health by cutting commuting time and potentially reducing distractions. They also say such arrangements help reduce traffic congestion and gridlock.
Government position, legal challenge and FIFA request
In a statement to CP24, the office of Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney said the government expects OPS staff to work on site. “We expect the Ontario Public Service to be in the workplace five days a week, reflecting the people and businesses we serve in Ontario,” the statement reads.
Rejection letters shared with CP24 and sent by assistant deputy ministers referenced a “fourfold test” and used similar wording. Two letters stated: “Your request was received, reviewed on its individual merits using the information provided and the fourfold test, and has been denied.”
The four‑fold test requires decisions to be made in good faith, involve a genuine exercise of discretionary power, focus on the individual application and consider only relevant facts, CP24 reported. Eckert told CP24 that the similarity of responses raises questions about whether individual circumstances were fully considered.
Ontario ordered most government employees back to the office five days a week in January. Unions are challenging the mandate at the Ontario Labour Relations Board as a unilateral change to working conditions after a notice to bargain, calling it a “clear breach” of labour laws, according to CP24.
Separately, unions representing OPS workers have asked the province to allow temporary remote work for employees in Toronto during FIFA World Cup matches. In a letter to Secretary of the Cabinet Michelle DiEmanuele, cited by CP24, they said the City of Toronto has “flagged concerns about significant congestion, ongoing construction, and disrupted sidewalk access” and expects vehicle traffic to increase by up to 15 per cent.
Thousands of visitors are expected in the city for the tournament and the city has asked employers to consider flexible or remote work, according to the report.
Accommodations around major sporting events
Several experts previously told HRD that employers should generally provide accommodations for workers during major sporting events, but with planning, transparency, and role-specific judgment rather than a blanket policy.
The accommodations also go beyond simply allowing workers to work remotely during the events.
Coming down hard on viewing is tempting given the numbers. Canadian HR Reporter, citing a FinanceBuzz survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, reports that on-the-clock viewing of the 2026 tournament could cost about US$4.5 billion in lost productivity, with roughly one quarter of workers planning to tune in during work hours and an average of three hours of viewing per watcher across the five-week schedule.
Yet Anita Bhandari, CHRO of the City of Burnaby, told the publication that a heavy-handed response misses the point. She recommends "a way that is both practical and people-centred," favouring "small, structured ways to acknowledge the moment" — including breaks for informal team engagement — over uniform restrictions. Pointing to Expo '86 and the 2010 Winter Olympics, Bhandari noted that initial disruption concerns "were largely balanced by planning and practical adjustments."
For employers in Toronto and Vancouver, accommodation isn't just a morale question — it's a commute question. Robert VanWynsberghe, a University of British Columbia professor who studies the after-effects of mega-events, told the publication that host-city events concentrate in tightly controlled downtown zones, with direct consequences for how people physically reach work. He urges employers to gather logistical data early, noting that "the hosts, and FIFA, want this thing to succeed, they will be generous with sharing data."
His broader framing: treat the tournament "less as parties and more as complex urban projects."
Millions of workers were expected to be absent from work after Super Bowl Sunday this year, according to a previous report.
