Ontario Premier Doug Ford regularly worked from home in January, even as civil servants were ordered back to the office five days per week.
A copy of the premier’s itinerary obtained by Global News using freedom of information laws shows that over five weeks from early January, Ford took many meetings at his house or virtually.
Beginning Jan. 6 this year, civil servants were told they must be back at the office full-time, a move Ford pushed as necessary to improve work quality and collaboration.
“I believe everyone’s more productive when they’re at work,” Ford said in August 2025. “How do you mentor someone over the phone? You can’t. You’ve got to look at them eye to eye or at the watercooler.”
Caroline Mulroney, the president of the treasury board, backed the sentiment, saying returning to work five days per week “represents the current workforce landscape” in Ontario.
Over the first month that civil servants were mandated back full-time, however, Ford regularly worked remotely.
On Jan. 14, for example, the premier headed to an event held by the Dairy Farmers of Ontario in downtown Toronto, where he took a “daily issues and media update” meeting over Microsoft Teams.
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By 11:30 a.m., Ford was back at his Etobicoke home for a briefing on the rollout of a new recycling contract in Ontario.
He then met with his housing minister over Microsoft Teams and spoke to the governor of Kansas online around 4:30 p.m. The rest of the day was marked as personal and private.
Dave Bulmer, the president of AMAPCEO, representing thousands of civil servants, said Ford had shown why civil servants should be able to work from home.
“I think he’s demonstrating exactly what my members did successfully for three and a half years, which was to work two out of five days from a remote location,” he told Global News.
“Even when you’re at the senior-most levels, there’s always an opportunity where virtual work and its flexibility will be useful to you. That, I think, transcends right to the premier.”
On Jan. 23, Ford appeared to work entirely from home, with staff travelling to Etobicoke to attend meetings.
At 9:30 a.m. he had a daily briefing followed by three meetings with Labour Minister David Piccini and various unions. His final meeting took place at 12 p.m. and the rest of his day was marked “private.”
A few days later, Prime Minister Mark Carney came to Ford’s home for a meeting, followed a few days later by the Ukrainian ambassador.
In total, between Jan. 6 and Feb. 5, Ford took meetings at his Etobicoke residence on nine days.
“I think he has reasons to do it — so do some of his employees,” Bulmer said of the premier’s remote work days. “I guess he sees the need for the balance and we’re supportive of that because it applies to everybody who’s a civil servant.”
The premier’s office told Global News Ford was working in his home riding because the legislature was not in session
“When the house isn’t sitting, the premier takes meetings in his home community, just like every other member of provincial parliament,” they wrote in a short statement.
The government delayed the return of the legislator by weeks at the start of the year, also shaving more than a month off the fall sitting.
Despite being told to head into work full-time, Bulmer said space constraints meant many civil servants are still actually at home.
“The reality for my members is that large portions of them are not back in the office four or five days a week because there’s not enough space,” he said.
“They’ve been given what is referred to as ad hoc approval to continue to work remotely or in hybrid fashion.”
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