Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Earlier this spring, Ontario public service unions—AMAPCEO, ALOC, OCAA, OPSEU, and PEGO—called on the Secretary of Cabinet to permit a temporary remote work arrangement for all employees working in Toronto during FIFA World Cup (Monday, June 8 through Friday, July 3, 2026).
The unions noted that the City of Toronto is expecting vehicle traffic volumes of up to 15%, with more than 45,000 spectators expected to attend each match at Toronto Stadium, and a further 20,000 attendees expected at the FIFA Fan Festival.
In response, the Ontario Public Service (OPS) Employer announced via a disclosure to unions early this week that they will be permitting earlier start or later end times on FIFA game days and entertain vacation requests for those dates. There was no reference made to members having the ability to request remote work.
In a separate comment to media outlets, a spokesperson for the President of the Treasury Board’s office further clarified that managers "can approve ad hoc, occasional or temporary remote work requests to provide short-term flexibility" for the days of June 12 and June 26.
AMAPCEO encourages those members in downtown Toronto who may be impacted by increased vehicle, transit, and foot traffic to consider asking for approval to work remotely on the specified days.
AMAPCEO also once again encourages members who have received a response to their AWA request to share their response letter as an attachment in an email to awa@amapceo.on.ca.
Sharing an AWA response with AMAPCEO helps the union identify trends and strengthens our ability to support Association disputes related to the OPS Employer’s return-to-office (RTO) agenda.
Sharing a response letter does not initiate a dispute. If your AWA request is not approved and you wish to pursue a dispute, please contact a Workplace Representative (WPR) to discuss next steps
AMAPCEO has 30 working days from the date of the response to file a dispute, and early contact with a WPR helps ensure you receive timely guidance.
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