More people are commuting to work in Ottawa-Gatineau but the region still lags other municipalities when it comes to return to office.
According to a report from Statistics Canada released Tuesday, between May 2024 and May 2025, the proportion of commuters, or employees who worked most of their hours outside the home, rose 9.5 percentage points in Ottawa-Gatineau, the largest increase among the 15 metropolitan areas examined in the report.
Despite the increase, StatCan found that Ottawa-Gatineau continues to have the lowest proportion of commuters, at 79 per cent in May 2025. This compares with Winnipeg at 89.5 per cent and Windsor at 87.4 per cent. Toronto is similar to Ottawa at 76.1 per cent.
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However, the increase in commuters over the past year has allowed the region to close the gap that has existed between it and other municipalities since the height of COVID-19.
Between May 2021 — when many workers were at home full-time due to pandemic restrictions — and May 2024, StatCan said the proportion of commuters in the Ottawa-Gatineau region was “well below the rates of other urban centres.”
Nationally, the proportion of people working from home has decreased for the fourth year in a row, according to StatCan. In May, it found that 17.4 per cent of employed people worked from home, compared to 18.7 per cent a year earlier.
At the same time, the share of people who work mostly outside of the home increased for the fourth year in a row to 82.6 per cent from a low of 75.7 per cent in 2021 when pandemic health measures led to a drop in commuting.
In May 2025, 5.1 per cent of workers were commuters who usually worked some hours from home, up slightly from May 2024 and the third consecutive increase since May 2022. Commuters who usually work exclusively outside their home made up more than three in four workers in May 2025, a proportion that increased for the third straight year.
“For many Canadians, commuting is a major part of their daily routine and longer commutes can impact workers’ well-being and work-life balance,” the report stated. “Moreover, understanding changes in how Canadians commute has important implications for transportation planning and environmental sustainability.”
The portion of commuters choosing public transit increased for the fourth year in a row. Still, the majority of commuters continue to drive, according to the report. In May 2025, 11.9 per cent workers commuted through public transit, while 80.9 per cent used a car, truck or van.
