The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada expects to spend approximately $100,000 on new office furniture as federal employees increase their in-person attendance.

The projected expense was disclosed in a response to a parliamentary order paper question examining the cost of reconfiguring or reacquiring federal office space to accommodate more frequent in-person work.

The furniture estimate does not include any costs incurred by Public Services and Procurement Canada, the federal department responsible for providing and managing office accommodations.

“Public Services and Procurement Canada will respond regarding costs incurred or projected on behalf of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada in its role as a common service provider,” the IRB wrote.

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“In addition to costs projected by Public Services and Procurement Canada, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada estimates that it will incur costs of approximately $100,000 for furniture purchases.”

The disclosure raises an obvious question: what happened to the furniture already occupying government offices while federal employees worked remotely or under hybrid arrangements?

The IRB response did not explain why new furniture was needed, what would be purchased or what became of its previous office furnishings.

The spending also comes as Ottawa says it intends to shrink the federal office portfolio by 50%. The parliamentary question specifically asked how the return-to-office costs could be reconciled with that reduction target.

The IRB did not directly address that apparent contradiction, instead referring the broader office-space costs to Public Services and Procurement Canada.