Canadian Layoff Tracker

Democracy on Locke, a vegan café in Hamilton, Ontario, closed suddenly and laid off approximately a dozen workers a week before Christmas. The closure came just months after workers unanimously voted to unionize in March 2025 and signed their first collective agreement in October, with the owner citing resignations of key management as the reason for the shutdown.

The Canadian federal government has begun notifying public servants of possible job cuts as part of the Comprehensive Expenditure Review, with plans to cut 28,000 positions and achieve $60 billion in savings by 2029. The goal is to reduce the federal public service from 357,965 employees (as of March 31, 2025) to 330,000 by 2028-29 through job cuts, attrition, and early retirements, with approximately 68,000 early retirement notices already issued to public servants.

Laurentian Bank of Canada announced the sale of its operations after 179 years in business, with approximately 700 of its 2,800 employees to be laid off as all 58 Quebec branches are closed. The bank's commercial operations are being sold to Fairstone Bank of Canada while retail and small business portfolios go to National Bank of Canada.

Aurora Group of Companies laid off all 90 of its mechanics and welders at the Ekati diamond mine in the Northwest Territories due to missed payments from mine owner Burgundy Diamond Mines, which owes approximately $8 million in arrears. The layoffs occurred in stages between June and September 2025 as the company faced financial challenges attributed to record-low diamond prices and U.S. tariffs disrupting the global diamond trade.

Domtar announced the permanent closure of its pulp mill in Crofton, British Columbia, resulting in 350 workers being laid off effective February 2026. The company cited lack of access to economically viable wood fibre as the primary reason for the closure.

Scotiabank reported a $373-million restructuring charge in Q4 2025 related to job cuts that resulted in 2,291 fewer employees by the end of the fourth quarter compared to the first quarter. The bank stated that these actions were undertaken to simplify operations and free up capacity to invest in technology and revenue-generating sales staff.

Newell Brands announced the elimination of 900 jobs and closure of Canadian Yankee Candle stores as part of restructuring efforts. The company stated there is more work to do in optimizing its operations.

Of these, 16 currently filled positions (16 executives) are undergoing formal Workforce Adjustment (WFA) or Career Transition (CT) proceedings — the most direct indicator of employees facing displacement. 188 "affected" or "at-risk" status letters have been issued (175 to employees, 13 to executives). These notices indicate potential impact and do not necessarily result in departure from the public service. The organization employs 1,892 people in the core public administration as of March 2025. Notifications were issued in Phase 1, Phase 3 of the Government of Canada's workforce reduction process.

Natural Resources Canada is eliminating 807 positions (785 employees and 22 executives) as part of the federal government's Comprehensive Expenditure Review (Budget 2025). This total includes vacant positions, projected attrition, and positions to be eliminated through formal workforce adjustment. Of these, 445 currently filled positions (433 employees and 12 executives) are undergoing formal Workforce Adjustment (WFA) or Career Transition (CT) proceedings — the most direct indicator of employees facing displacement. 688 "affected" or "at-risk" status letters have been issued (678 to employees, 10 to executives). These notices indicate potential impact and do not necessarily result in departure from the public service. The organization employs 6,044 people in the core public administration as of March 2025. Notifications were issued in Phase 1 of the Government of Canada's workforce reduction process.

Privy Council Office is eliminating 179 positions (157 employees and 22 executives) as part of the federal government's Comprehensive Expenditure Review (Budget 2025). This total includes vacant positions, projected attrition, and positions to be eliminated through formal workforce adjustment. Of these, 126 currently filled positions (118 employees and 8 executives) are undergoing formal Workforce Adjustment (WFA) or Career Transition (CT) proceedings — the most direct indicator of employees facing displacement. 239 "affected" or "at-risk" status letters have been issued (221 to employees, 18 to executives). These notices indicate potential impact and do not necessarily result in departure from the public service. The organization employs 1,208 people in the core public administration as of March 2025. Notifications were issued in Phase 1 of the Government of Canada's workforce reduction process.

Public Health Agency of Canada is eliminating 53 positions (53 employees) as part of the federal government's Comprehensive Expenditure Review (Budget 2025). This total includes vacant positions, projected attrition, and positions to be eliminated through formal workforce adjustment. The organization employs 3,372 people in the core public administration as of March 2025. Notifications were issued in Phase 1 of the Government of Canada's workforce reduction process.

Public Service Commission of Canada is eliminating 40 positions (40 employees) as part of the federal government's Comprehensive Expenditure Review (Budget 2025). This total includes vacant positions, projected attrition, and positions to be eliminated through formal workforce adjustment. Of these, 38 currently filled positions (38 employees) are undergoing formal Workforce Adjustment (WFA) or Career Transition (CT) proceedings — the most direct indicator of employees facing displacement. 42 "affected" or "at-risk" status letters have been issued (42 to employees, 0 to executives). These notices indicate potential impact and do not necessarily result in departure from the public service. The organization employs 803 people in the core public administration as of March 2025. Notifications were issued in Phase 1 of the Government of Canada's workforce reduction process.

Red River College Polytechnic is laying off 44 staff members at its Centre for Newcomer Integration in spring 2026, consisting of 13 permanent positions and 31 term positions expiring March 31, due to federal funding cuts to language training programs. The layoffs will reduce the centre's annual capacity from 6,700 seats to 1,360 and eliminate stage two language training, affecting approximately 1,400 newcomers.

Simons laid off multiple employees at its newly-opened Eaton Centre location in Toronto shortly before Black Friday, with workers dismissed just before the end of their probation period and minimal explanation provided. Former employees allege the manager exhibited passive-aggressive behavior and public reprimands, and criticized the timing of the layoffs during the busy holiday season when retail companies typically hire additional staff.

Drax, a U.K.-based renewable energy company, announced the closure of its wood pellet plant in Williams Lake, B.C., effective by the end of 2025, resulting in 30 job losses. The closure is attributed to the curtailment and closure of nearby sawmills and reduced fibre availability, making operations no longer commercially viable.

Shopify Inc. announced layoffs to keep its team 'fast, sharp and focused.' The specific number of employees affected was not disclosed in the announcement. Spokesperson Ben McConaghy would not provide a number of workers losing their jobs but says in an email to The Canadian Press that the cuts impact a “fraction of a per cent” of Shopify’s team. Financial markets firm LSEG Data & Analytics counted 8,100 Shopify employees as of December 2024. One per cent of that figure amounts to about 81 staff.

The Canadian federal government's implementation of AI translation tools (GCtranslate) is expected to result in approximately 339 job losses among the 1,300+ employees in the Translation Bureau. The union representing translators and language experts warns that relying on AI without human oversight risks translation quality and threatens the protection of French language services across Canadian government operations.

Horizon Media laid off six senior executives as part of organizational changes. The affected employees held positions including investment director, strategy supervisor, associate director of strategy, group account director, director of innovation, trading manager, and planning director roles.

Bell Canada laid off approximately 700 managers in a mass restructuring described as highly efficient with minimal legal resistance. The layoffs were driven by cost-cutting to improve earnings and hit performance targets rather than crisis response.

Bell Media, a subsidiary of BCE, announced layoffs of 40 positions as part of wider cost-cutting measures at the parent company. The cuts represent ongoing restructuring efforts within Canada's telecommunications and media sector.