Wednesday, August 12, 2026
On August 14, 2025, the Secretary of Cabinet announced that the Ontario Public Service (OPS) would be returning to five days in the office. At the time, I pointed out that AMAPCEO members “have shown that we can, and should, be treated as the capable, trustworthy professionals we are—professionals capable of working for Ontario from anywhere.”
That is no less true today than it was a year ago.
And while it is extremely frustrating that AMAPCEO members are still bound by this outdated and unnecessary policy, I believe it is important to take a moment to reflect on our efforts over the past year as we look ahead to the future of our fight for hybrid work.
The Remote Work Works! campaign
As soon as the Secretary of Cabinet’s announcement was made, AMAPCEO sprang into action, launching the Remote Work Works! campaign. In what would become the union’s largest demonstration in a decade, we organized the All Out for Remote Work! rally. AMAPCEO members showed up in force, waving signs and proudly wearing AMAPCEO blue, to make it clear that remote work works.
We also used this rally as an opportunity to deliver the whopping 13,000 signatures of our petition to the Secretary of Cabinet calling for the return of remote and hybrid work in the public service.
The rally received a significant amount of media attention, and the union kept this issue in the public eye through member emails to MPPs, an extended social media campaign, our Blue Valentine’s Day in-office campaign, and ongoing interviews and op-eds.
Expanding workplace resources and support
But we knew we needed more than just the public eye on our cause—members needed concrete support in the workplace. AMAPCEO fast-tracked training for new Workplace Representatives (WPRs) and temporarily seconded several experienced WPRs to work full-time at AMAPCEO to respond to urgent remote work request issues.
We also strengthened our virtual resources, reworking our alternative work arrangement (AWA) request tool to fit the new mandate for Directors to sign off on remote work AWA requests. We updated existing resources and created new web pages and workshops explaining members’ rights under Article 47, how to submit an AWA request, and, eventually, how to dispute a denial.
Association-level and individual disputes
One of the most significant avenues through which AMAPCEO has fought, and is continuing to fight, for remote work is the legal process. When we received blanket denials two months ago, we urged every member who received a denial to dispute it, either individually or as part of a group dispute.
And over the course of the past year, AMAPCEO has filed several Association level disputes or unfair labour practices complaints against the OPS Employer, including:
- On their failure to give AMAPCEO two weeks’ advance notice of the return to office edict, as required by our Collective Agreement.
- That their edict conflicts with Article 47, AMAPCEO members’ right to request alternative work arrangements and have them considered individually, and in good faith.
- That they violated AMAPCEO members’ rights, protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to display union materials at work.
- That the directions they gave to leaders and employees also conflicts with our Collective Agreement, specifically Article 47 on alternative work arrangements.
- On the unreasonable delay they imposed on responding to members’ remote work requests.
- That the mass number of decision letters received by AMAPCEO members on June 5, 2026 constitute blanket denial and violate Articles 3 and 47 of the Collective Agreement.
Early dates have already been scheduled for one of our Association disputes, with dates for the others likely to be scheduled in late 2026 and into the following year. Members’ individual and group AWA request denial disputes will likely follow the same timeline.
The road ahead
We have been down this road before, and we cannot allow ourselves to be demoralized by the abject fealty of the OPS Employer to the government’s tactics and by their efforts to ultimately dissuade us from fighting for our rights. I urge you not to be discouraged and to stand with your union as we defend your rights and advocate for your interests.
We are up for this fight, just as we were for the fights to overturn Bill 124 and recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and we are in this for the long haul.
Stronger together,
Dave Bulmer
President/CEO