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The rationale? It varies. Apparently proximity equals productivity. Who knew?

The announcements land like a surprise party thrown by your dentist. There is confetti, sure, but also a drill.

Now, I understand the skeptics. 鈥淲e used to go in five days a week,鈥� they say, usually while shaking their heads at brunch. I did a litmus test at a few social gatherings, and let me tell you 鈥� every grandparent in the room rolled their eyes so hard I thought someone might pull a muscle. 鈥淏ack in my day鈥︹�� they began, as if commuting was a rite of passage and not just a logistical nightmare wrapped in a Tim Hortons breakfast sandwich.

But here鈥檚 the thing: we鈥檝e changed. The world changed. We lived through a global pandemic. We isolated, we adapted, we Zoomed. We learned new things about our partners (some of which we wish we hadn鈥檛), we got dogs, we moved cities, and yes 鈥� we worked from home. At first, it felt like a fever dream. How would we make this work? But we did. And something quietly revolutionary happened.

We discovered that flexibility wasn鈥檛 just a perk, it was a lifeline. We worked hard. We worked smart. We threw in laundry between calls, walked the dog during lunch, and still logged on earlier and signed off later. We weren鈥檛 slacking鈥攚e were thriving. We were holding our kids鈥� hands on the walk home from school, not just their report cards at the end of the year. We found balance. Real, tangible, mental-health-boosting balance.

And now, we鈥檙e being asked to give it all back.

Why? Because the banks are doing it? Since when did we look to big banks for innovation? These are institutions that still fax things. They鈥檙e not exactly the North Star of progressive workplace culture. Following their lead is like asking Blockbuster how to build a streaming platform.

Throughout history, we鈥檝e made progress. Women in the workforce. Diversity in hiring. No smoking in offices. Hockey helmets. These weren鈥檛 just changes 鈥� they were acknowledgments we could do better. That we should do better. So if we truly believe mental health is as important as physical health, why are we backpedaling?

Sending us back full-time feels like the NHL announcing helmets are now optional. It鈥檚 regressive. It鈥檚 dangerous. And for those of us in advertising, it鈥檚 a one-way ticket to the Mad Men era. Cue the high heels, the boardroom exclusion and the ashtrays.

Let鈥檚 not confuse nostalgia with necessity. We鈥檝e seen what progress looks like.

Let鈥檚 not pretend we haven鈥檛.

Sarah Cotton, Toronto

Canadians are passionate, just not about the tire fire south of the border

U.S. ambassador to Canada disappointed by 鈥榓nti-American鈥� rhetoric, 鈥榚lbows up,鈥� Sept. 18

Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, is disappointed we are not passionate about the American-Canadian relationship.

Is he not paying attention?

I believe Canadians are passionate about peace, order and good governance. And good governance means good for all citizens, not just those who agree with you. The majority of us still aspire to a more just, equitable and inclusive society. “Elbows up” is not just about tariffs. It’s also about values. We are not passionate about our relationship with Russia or China. Those countries and the U.S. can govern themselves however they see fit. That is their prerogative. But we don’t have to agree or like it.

I am passionate about our relationship with the U.S. and am very concerned. I am sure many other Canadians are as well. I am concerned their democracy is in trouble.

It disappoints me ambassador Hoekstra doesn’t seem to understand that.

Stan Spicker, Midland, Ont.

Ambassador not thrilled with Canada’s ‘elbows up’ attitude. Too bad

U.S. ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra doesn鈥檛 like the idea the Canadian elbow is in the eye of their economic interest . Tough!

Canada is not your 51st state and freedom of speech and ‘elbows up’ is a Canadian democratic right.

The U.S. ambassador may believe the unjust tariffs imposed on Canada are a goodwill gesture, and the fascist state of mind of the United States is something to which Canadians should acquiesce. But Canadians would be wise to remind him he is a guest here in this country and we don鈥檛 appreciate being lectured to by a foreign government who turns a blind eye to the genocide that is taking place in Gaza.

We as Canadians want a good relationship with our neighbour from the south, but we are well-educated adults and we are quite capable of conducting our affairs without joining United States or accepting their propaganda.

Elbows up is a slogan of importance and Mr. Ambassador should feel lucky it鈥檚 not the middle finger.聽

Cran Campbell, Langley, B.C.

Continual destruction of speed cameras will end up costing the city

Three more speed cameras cut down as police turn to radar monitoring on Parkside Drive, Sept. 18

As a former public servant, I know there is a certain amount of largess built into every tendered contract within the business world. But not so much as to allow the ongoing destruction of Toronto鈥檚 speed cameras.

The company responsible for maintaining the cameras, Redflex Traffic Systems, is only putting on a brave face in light of a rapidly diminishing profit margin. There is a long way to go in this contract, and if the vandalization continues, the cost of renewing in 2029 will be prohibitive for the city. All the talk about saving lives will be put to the test if the city becomes responsible for replacing these cameras.

The tighter you squeeze, the more money will slip through your fingers.

People already avoid the city because of traffic paralysis.

Now you can add perpetual surveillance to the list.

Paul Graham, Mississauga

Stores should live up to their word and accept the empty bottles and cans

Some independent grocers may not take empties as of January 1, citing concerns over 鈥榙irty鈥� beer bottles, Sept. 19

Grocery stores and convenience stores accepting bottles for refunds is nothing new. Every store large or small that sold pop accepted the empties.

I actually worked at a large grocery chain and one of my responsibilities was to reimburse the customers for their empties and sort the bottles, because no two brands of pop bottles were the same. The empties were picked up once a week by the respective bottlers. As you can imagine the bottles were often filthy, having come from roadside ditches.

I hope the stores now saying they cannot take empties at least had a plan for this inevitability, since it was likely part of their contract. They could simply collect the empties at the entrance to the store and then move them to a storage area in the back. It is even simpler now since there is no need to sort them, since cans are crushed and the bottles get broken.

Live up to your word.

Peter Keilhofer, Toronto