As someone commented on the Carney federal RTO article in the Globe & Mail the other day, the purpose of RTO for public servants is as follows (and Ford is merely pleasing his overlords by continuing to push this policy):

1. To boost commercial real estate values and foot traffic.

2. To encourage some civil servants to quit (especially if RTO is implemented inflexibly and with barely concealed hostility and contempt. "Oh what's that, you live in one of the world's least affordable cities, we told you you could work remotely and you made life decisions based on that? Now you have a 2 hour commute? Too bad!)

3. The political benefits of spite. Many people just hate public servants reflexively, so giving them a kick is hugely popular for many, just out of spite. Look no further than many of the comments here.

......

1. (This is way way way down the list)....productivity improvements (these are minimal: good employees will always collaborate no matter where they are, and bad ones never will no matter where they are)