Burnaby, Hamilton, and Richmond Named Canada’s Top Commuter Towns for Hybrid Workers in 2026

• Burnaby, Hamilton, and Richmond are the best places for hybrid workers to live in Canada according to the IWG Commuter Town Index

• Lengthy commutes are falling out of favour, with only 4 per cent of workers globally willing to commute for more than an hour to work daily

• Younger workers are leading this shift, with 75 per cent of Millennials and 72 per cent of Gen Z willing to live further from city centres if coworking spaces or good transport links are available 

• Hybrid working is delivering tangible lifestyle benefits, with 51per cent of workers reporting improved health and wellbeing since adopting flexible working 

International Workplace Group (IWG), the world’s largest platform for work with brands including Spaces and Regus, has named Burnaby, Hamilton and Richmond as Canada’s best commuter towns for hybrid workers to live in 2026, as part of its inaugural Commuter Town Index. The index measures how well towns support modern hybrid workers, based on factors including transport links, local amenities and access to flexible workspaces.  

With hybrid working an increasingly permanent feature of modern employment, where people choose to live is increasingly shaped by the ability to work closer to home without compromising on professionalism or connectivity. Long commutes are increasingly being rejected in favour of flexible working models that support wellbeing, productivity and work life balance.  

Against this backdrop, IWG’s new Commuter Town Index examines how commuter towns in Canada are responding to this shift, identifying locations that best combine strong transport connections, local amenities and professional workspace options with a high quality of life. 

Canada’s Top 10 Commuter Towns* (score out of 100)

• Burnaby, BC (84)

• Hamilton, ON (78) 

• Richmond, BC (76)

• Mississauga, ON (74)

• Laval, QC, Kitchener/Waterloo, ON (73)

• Oakville, ON & Burlington, ON (70)

• Coquitlam, BC & London, ON (69)

• Brossard, QC (68)

• Markham, ON, Vaughan, ON, Barrie, ON (67)

• Surrey, BC & Port Moody, BC (66)

Burnaby, BC Takes the Top Spot 

Burnaby scored so highly due to its exceptional transport connectivity proximity to the city centre, its many lifestyle amenities, and access to flexible workspaces. The town is an example of a central location with multi-line rapid transit access via the SkyTrain, a pedestrian-friendly core, strong digital infrastructure and a thriving local economy – making it particularly well-suited to hybrid workers seeking balance without sacrificing career opportunities.

Hamilton, ON is the Runner Up 

Thanks to its housing affordability, access to green spaces, creative and social venues and lifestyle amenities, Hamilton has cemented its place as runner up on the index. While not the closest commuter town in the GTA, its direct access to Toronto via the GO Train, a revitalize downtown core, growing cultural hub, affordability, and ease of access to nature, Hamilton balances local living with access to Canada’s major city centre – a profile well suited to hybrid working.

Rising Demand for Local Workspaces 

Recognizing the surge in interest for top-quality flexible workspaces closer to where people want to live, IWG continues its expansion across Canada with 160 locations coast-to-coast focusing on opening centres in suburban and small towns. In 2025 alone, IWG has opened new locations in Burnaby (Regus), Mississauga (Regus), Surrey (Regus), two in Markham (Regus & HQ), Langley (Regus), two in Moncton (Regus & HQ), Verdun (Regus), Saint-Leonard (Regus) and Ste-Foy (HQ).

International Workplace Group’s rapid expansion has led to around 1,000 global locations added in the last year and achieving highest ever revenue – with more new locations signed and opened in 2025 than in the first 15 years of its operations. IWG’s network now comprises more than one million rooms in 121 countries. 

Workers Prioritizing Lifestyle, Affordability and Wellbeing

IWG’s research¹ highlights a dramatic decline in willingness to commute long distances. Only four per cent of people globally are willing to commute for more than an hour to their workplace daily, while 88 per cent say the ability to work close to home in a professional space is important when choosing where to live.  

Hybrid working is having a measurable impact on wellbeing. In Canada, a report of over 1,000 hybrid worker² found significant improvements in mental health and wellbeing when given the opportunity to work in a hybrid model: 

• 52% reported an improved in their overall mood 

• 53% slept better

• 45% had more energy 

Another 2025 Canadian study of hybrid workers³ found:

• 79% said their stress levels were reduced due to less time spent on long daily commutes 

• 44% reported that they took fewer sick days because of having flexibility over how and where they work

Globally, nine in 10 (90%) people around the world say they would consider moving to a different town or city to improve their quality of life. 

Hybrid Working Cost Savings  

Younger workers are leading this shift, with 75 per cent of Millennials and 72 per cent of Gen Z globally willing to live further from city centres if flexible workspaces or good transport links are available. This trend reflects the growing prioritization of a work-life balance and affordability, with proximity to flexible workspaces often outweighing the traditional appeal of central locations. As a result, both developers and workspace operators are increasingly focusing on suburban hubs and well-connected commuter towns to attract this mobile and digitally enabled workforce. 

Hybrid working has enabled businesses to cut overhead costs by reducing reliance on inflexible and expensive long-term leases in favour of flexible and short-term workspace solutions. According to a 2025 IWG study of more than 400 Canadian senior business leaders⁴, 65 per cent reported that hybrid working has been central to their cost management strategy. A 2024 study found that Canadian businesses saved more than $400,000 a year since adoption a hybrid working model with 58 per cent opting to open secondary offices in the suburbs of a major city.⁵  

Mark Dixon, Founder and CEO of IWG, said: 

“Technology and the embrace of AI is rapidly reshaping how we work and where we live, turning commuter towns, or so-called dormitory towns, into vibrant hubs for working and living. 

The idea that every morning, office workers wake early, jump into polluting cars or overcrowded trains, and travel many miles to their place of work will very soon be a crazy thing people only did in the past,” says Dixon. “Hybrid working improves our lives. And it makes us significantly better off, too.”

Commuter Town Index Graph:  

About International Workplace Group PLC   

International Workplace Group is the global leader in hybrid work solutions and workspace brands. We create personal, financial, and strategic value for businesses of every size. From some of the most exciting companies and well-known organizations on the planet, to individuals and the next generation of industry leaders. All of them harness the power of International Workplace Group’s hybrid working platform to increase their productivity, efficiency, agility, and market proximity.  

International Workplace Group’s unrivalled network coverage includes approximately 5,000 locations across more than 120 countries and 83% of Fortune 500 companies are amongst our growing customer base.  

Through our brands including Regus, Spaces, HQ and Signature, we help millions of people and their businesses to work more productively. We do so by providing the world’s leading hybrid work platform with professional, inspiring and collaborative workspaces and digital services all available via the International Workplace Group’s app.  

For more information  

Visit www.iwgplc.com and for more information on partnering with International Workplace Group, see: https://www.iwgplc.com/develop-a-location 

Source: IWG 

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