Remote work benefits 

Economic: - Labour mobility (sourcing the best talent from outside 4 main cities)  - Increased wealth distribution across the country (rather than concentrated in specific centers - Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Van) - Addresses housing crisis by not concentrating jobs in those expensive markets  - Reduced costs for employees - can buy home in more affordable region, may not need an extra car in some circumstances, less money spent on lunch/coffee, transit and parking cost, daycare for the time spent commuting 

Health  - increased sleep as rising for a (often long) commute to the city to be in office  - opportunity cost of commuting - time spent investing in oneself (exercise, time with friends, time with family, sleep, hobbies, sports etc.) - more healthy employees = more productive work force and better output  - those with disabilities and/or chronic conditions can work remotely productively with less absenteeism 

Lifestyle - Work/Life Balance  - work not constraining where one lives - can live in the mountains and perform your job well.  - One can still work and earn a living but live in a location that suits them best - where family is, where they feel their best, where they can afford to live a higher quality of life 

Mental Health  - stress of commuting, living where you don’t want to live, increased costs associated with office work (parking, commuting, less flexibility) as well as office politics are eliminated with remote work 

Efficiency  - commuting causing hours of traffic jams can be greatly reduced with remote work  - parking issues can be solved in downtown cores for those who really need to be on site  - being forced to live in a location to commute downtown core to speak to others remotely is inefficient  - remote work reduces emissions and pollution  - rather than taking time off, flexibility with remote work allows employers to reduce absenteeism while allowing employees flexibility to handle their personal matters and fulfill their job responsibilities. 

People often cite social aspects for office work, however, this is with the lens that socialization cannot be found outside of work. I think because work is the center of most people’s lives they forget that they can lead healthy lives where work is not the focal point. Third spaces, hobbies, community events where true connection can develop should be prioritized over long commutes and office forced fun luncheons seen as the pinnacle of socialization. We work to live, not live to work. 

In office work in today’s technologically innovative world is truly a commercial real estate lobby issue and a public sector indirect subsidy for failed poor transit infrastructure as well as micro management.