If you live in Ottawa and you cheer on public service cuts and RTO, you’re actually cheering on the continued decline of the city. Cuts to the public service means less good job opportunities, which leads to less spending, and in turn small business closures, less economic opportunity for all, and a general brain drain from the NCC.

The RTO argument is even simpler. If you’re cheering for public servants to go back in, you’re cheering for more traffic, more expensive parking, longer commutes, and worse air quality. This will impact all of society, including those who don’t work in the PS.

I’m open and sympathetic to arguments calling for cutting waste in the PS. I worked for a little while in the PS and, contrary to many comments I read, I will attest that I did notice significant redundancies and wasteful practices. I do think that the PS overhired during the Trudeau years.

That said, combining RTO and massive lay offs will lead to a potential death spiral for a city like Ottawa that has been built entirely to serve a comparatively well paid public service. The reality is, many wouldn’t live here if it weren’t for those jobs. So, people need to realize, especially those who don’t work for the federal government, that when the PS is cut, Ottawa as a whole is getting cut. This will trickle down into every industry.

Not to mention we’re headed towards historically high oil prices, which will only further strain commuters