OTTAWA (Ontario) August 11, 2026 – The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) is applauding the June 19, 2026, decision by the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (FPSLREB) to award $28,000 in damages to a public servant whose request to work remotely had been wrongfully denied.
The FPSLREB found that the PIPSC member who brought the case, who had been diagnosed with PTSD, had been discriminated against by their employer, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). The administrative tribunal found that ISED acted recklessly and failed to accommodate the member’s disability in applying their return-to-office (RTO) policy, suffering from “tunnel vision”.
This decision reinforces what PIPSC has been saying since the RTO mandates were first announced: a “one-size-fits-all” approach to RTO doesn’t work and doesn’t make sense. The policy has resulted in overcrowded workspaces, creating conditions that can compromise employees’ health, safety, and ability to work effectively.
The ISED case clearly demonstrates that the government is being careless in their implementation and failing to properly accommodate employees with documented medical conditions. The FPSLREB made it clear that an employer cannot force an employee’s disability-related needs to fit a blanket workplace policy. The duty to accommodate takes precedence over return-to-office requirements.
Members have also raised on-site health and safety concerns, including insufficient workspace, inadequate access to suitable workstations, and workplace conditions that do not adequately support employees’ needs.
PIPSC supports the principle of “presence with purpose”: being at the office when justified by operational needs.
PIPSC continues to call on the government to work with unions on a fair, practical, and evidence-based approach to telework and workplace presence.
PIPSC represents over 80,000 public sector professionals across the country, most of them employed by the federal government. Follow us on Facebook, on Bluesky and on Instagram.
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For more information: media@pipsc.ca
