The pandemic and the shift to remote work have turned Ottawa’s downtown into a commercial wasteland. At the same time, the country is facing a severe housing crisis: housing is unaffordable and in short supply. But empty offices offer an opportunity, especially in the capital, where the federal government owns vast assets.

The Canada Land Bank, created last year, includes 35 buildings suitable for conversion into housing. Among them are three sites near Heardman Station, where up to 5,000 units could be built. A long-term lease model would keep the land in public ownership and ensure housing is affordable.

Experts emphasize that the only way to revitalize the city center is by increasing population density. This will attract stores, infrastructure, and improve transportation. But there are challenges: the high cost of conversion, the need to clean up pollution, and adapt office layouts.

Some activists fear that handing over buildings to private developers without guarantees of affordability will repeat the mistakes of the 1990s. Only 20% of new housing on federal lands is promised to be affordable by the government, but the city is calling for more.

Still, experts say office conversions are an important part of the solution. “It is possible to overcome homelessness, and it starts with housing,” says Kaiti Burkholder Harris, director of the Ottawa Alliance to End Homelessness.