Canada · 2024–2026
Canadian Layoff Tracker
Aggregating layoffs across Canada from employment standards filings, government notices, SEDAR+ corporate disclosures, union announcements, and verified media reporting
Last updated: May 20, 2026
People Laid Off
Companies
Industries Affected
Canadian Layoff Trends
This tracker currently covers layoff events from 286 companies, affecting more than 101,671 workers across Canada. Data is sourced from government labour adjustment notices, SEDAR filings, union statements, and verified media reporting.
The technology, financial services, and retail sectors have historically accounted for the largest share of reported layoffs — a pattern consistent with broader North American economic cycles. Ontario and British Columbia, home to the greatest concentration of corporate headquarters, tend to represent the largest share of national layoff volumes.
The Canada Revenue Agency has laid off nearly 3,300 call centre employees since May 2024, resulting in fewer than 5% of callers being able to reach an agent according to the Union of Taxation Employees. Further job cuts are expected due to Prime Minister Mark Carney's directive for federal ministries to reduce spending by 7.5% in fiscal 2026, 10% in 2027, and 15% in 2028-29.
Toronto-based Clutch laid off 148 staff members, representing approximately two-thirds of its workforce. The layoffs followed rapid expansion into western provinces as the company pulled back to refocus on its core business in Eastern Canada.
The Thames Valley District School Board in London, Ontario has cut approximately 115 staff positions, including around 47 teachers, library and guidance staff, and learning support positions, following the province's takeover in April due to a budget deficit exceeding $30 million. The board is also now allowing unqualified first and second-year education students to join supply teacher lists to address ongoing staffing challenges.
Okanagan College is laying off four faculty/instructors and closing the Modern Languages department due to a projected loss of 600-700 international students. The college previously offered a voluntary early retirement incentive program (ERIP) to mitigate layoffs, but additional difficult staffing decisions are expected in the coming weeks and months.
Stellantis laid off a small number of workers at its Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario on Friday, August 15, 2025, with one worker estimating approximately 100 employees were affected. The layoffs are attributed to volume adjustments and a shift away from electric muscle car production, following the company's postponement of the 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T model.
Qualtech Seating Systems, a Magna International-owned auto parts plant in London, Ontario, will close permanently on October 10, 2025, resulting in nearly 50 job losses. The closure is attributed to the extended shutdown of the CAMI Ingersoll GM plant, which has been idle since May 2025 due to decreased demand for the Brightdrop van.
Wonderbrands announced it is ending sliced bread production at its Sudbury facility, resulting in 50 full and part-time job losses effective October 6, 2025. The company cited sustained industry-wide shifts in bread consumption and changing consumer preferences toward diverse bread varieties as the reason for the closure of sliced bread production, while bun roll production will continue.
Scouts Canada has eliminated nearly one-third of its paid staff positions, equivalent to 44 full-time positions spread across the country, to address an ongoing deficit of about $5 million and declining membership. The layoffs are part of broader cost-saving measures including membership fee increases, reduced central spending, and property disposals as the 110-year-old organization attempts to stabilize its financial position.
Toronto-based biotech AI startup BenchSci cut 23% of its staff (about 83 jobs) since May 2025 as it shifts to become an AI-first company, using generative AI tools to automate work previously done by humans. The layoffs include a 20% reduction in software engineering roles and are part of the company's strategy to increase efficiency rather than responding to business challenges.
Titan Tool and Die Limited has locked out unionized workers at its Windsor auto parts stamping facility, with roughly 60 employees on staff but only 27 actively working due to prior layoffs. The lockout began on August 11, 2025, after the collective agreement expired on July 31 and the company requested concessions, citing the need to remain competitive in the tariff economy.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic is cutting 14 jobs through layoff notices to out-of-scope employees and leaving 8 vacant positions unfilled due to a significant decline in international student enrolment caused by federal immigration policy changes. This is the second round of layoffs in 2025, following 27 job cuts in April, as the institution faces a budget shortfall of up to $15 million for the 2025-26 academic year.
Burgundy Diamond Mines laid off several hundred workers, including 119 union members, at the Ekati diamond mine in N.W.T. after shutting down operations at the Point Lake development, which became sub-economic with current diamond prices. The company plans to restart Point Lake in mid-2026 and has released a life-of-mine plan extending operations until 2040, with laid-off workers eligible to reclaim their positions if reinstated within a year.
Alexandria Moulding, a North Glengarry-based building products and moulding manufacturer, confirmed that 25 employees out of nearly 400 were laid off in June 2025 as part of a strategic realignment to phase out certain manufacturing activities. The company cited evolving customer needs and rising input costs as factors in the decision, while continuing to operate and invest in its door-hanging business for long-term growth.
The New Brunswick government has applied for a judicial review and stay of a labour board decision that ordered the province to rescind layoff notices for library workers in three school districts (Anglophone West, Anglophone South, and Francophone South) and reinstate reduced hours for school administrative assistants. Finance Minister René Legacy stated the government intends to proceed with the library worker layoffs once legally permitted, arguing library workers do not provide direct support to students.
Canadian Tire trimmed its corporate workforce in July 2025 as part of a broader restructuring initiative. The specific number of employees affected and detailed restructuring plans were not available in the article title.
Island Health has eliminated 117 non-union jobs as part of a cost-cutting exercise under provincial direction, representing approximately 5% of the organization's 2,500 non-contract employees. The cuts are part of a mandate to reduce administrative roles and redirect resources toward front-line patient care, with a target of up to 10% reduction expected to continue for a few more weeks.
Conestoga College eliminated four senior executive positions with a collective annual salary of $1.2 million, including both deans of the School of Interdisciplinary and School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts, as well as the senior vice president academic and students. The restructuring also impacted nine other senior positions and comes as the college navigates financial challenges stemming from a 48% decrease in international student enrollment due to federal study permit restrictions.
A report predicts that the number of federal public service jobs in Canada could drop by almost 60,000. The article references Minister of Finance and National Revenue François-Philippe Champagne but does not provide details on implementation timeline or specific reasons for the predicted job losses.
OMERS Ventures, the VC arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, laid off several employees from its U.S. investment team, including senior managing partner Michael Yang, as part of a strategic shift to refocus on Canadian investments. The layoffs reduced the firm's headcount from 19 employees in June to 12 total, with the U.S.-based investment team reduced from two-thirds to half of the firm's investment staff.
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