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: June 19, 2026
People Laid Off
Companies
Industries Affected
Canadian Layoff Trends
This tracker currently covers layoff events from 309 companies, affecting more than 112,686 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.
North Island College is cutting teaching and administrative positions, affecting approximately 10 full-time equivalent jobs, due to an $8.4 million decline in international revenue by 2027 caused by federal immigration policy changes. The college is also suspending 15 programs and reviewing offerings with lower enrolment to address significant financial challenges.
Camosun College announced workforce adjustments due to a $7.2-9 million budget cut caused by a 60% drop in international student enrollment. The college has issued Section 54 notices to its three unions and is exploring alternatives to layoffs including early retirements, voluntary severance, and reduced term contracts, though exact numbers of affected employees have not been disclosed.
Mission Hill Vineyards laid off workers following a catastrophic winter freeze that caused significant reduction in operations. A British Columbia arbitrator dismissed a grievance seeking severance pay for one of the affected workers.
Thompson Rivers University has shed more than 10% of its workforce in the last 15 months due to a 26% drop in international enrolment caused by federal immigration policy changes. The university expects to slash an additional $25 million from next year's budget, with ongoing layoffs and potential elimination of five academic student services due to unfilled retirements and sabbaticals.
College of New Caledonia is permanently closing its Fort St. James campus on March 31, 2026, due to an $8 million revenue shortfall caused by caps on international student visas. The closure follows previous staff layoffs and relocations at the campus, which previously served approximately 200 students in programs like culinary arts and trades.
Trinity Western University is laying off approximately 75 staff members due to federal restrictions on international student study permits, which have reduced enrolment and created financial pressures. The cuts are part of cost-saving measures implemented across the Canadian post-secondary landscape following a 7% reduction in maximum international student permits for 2026.
Meanwhile, at Vancouver Community College, the administration says that 70 regular faculty member will be losing their jobs.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University is laying off unionized staff and cutting costs due to a sharp drop in international student enrolment, aiming to save $5 million—about 40–45 full-time positions—through staff reductions, frozen overtime, and unfilled vacancies.
Premier David Eby announced that 2,000 public service jobs have been eliminated as part of an expenditure management and efficiency review, with more cuts expected in the 2026 budget. The province is targeting administrative positions that do not support front-line service delivery while facing an $11.2 billion deficit.
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.
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.
West Fraser announced a mill closure in 100 Mile House, British Columbia, resulting in 165 job losses. The layoffs were announced on November 7, 2025.
Sinclar Group Forest Products announced a 40 per cent reduction in work hours affecting approximately 350 sawmill workers across three B.C. mills (Lakeland Mills in Prince George, Apollo Forest Products in Fort St. James, and Nechako Lumber Co. in Vanderhoof) effective October 27, 2025. The cutbacks were attributed to Trump tariffs and duties on Canadian softwood exports, combined with provincial policy challenges and fibre supply uncertainty.
Selkirk College is closing its Kootenay Studio Arts campus in Nelson at the end of the academic year, resulting in the loss of 10 full-time and part-time positions. The closure is attributed to financial pressures caused by federal cuts to international student study permits, which has reduced a major revenue source for the college.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University announced plans for up to 45 additional full-time staff layoffs due to a 60% decline in international student enrolment caused by federal government study permit processing delays and increased denial rates. The cuts are necessary to address a projected $5-10 million revenue drop for the 2025-26 budget, with eight business school instructors receiving layoff notices with January 2026 end dates.
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.
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.
Vancouver, Canada-based Canfor Corp. is closing sawmills in Darlington and Estill, South Carolina, laying off 290 workers. The company cited persistently weak market conditions and sustained financial losses as reasons for the mill closures.
The Vancouver Art Gallery is cutting approximately 30% of its staff (34 employees) and reducing programming by 30% to balance its budget. The reductions include 16 voluntary departures and 18 layoffs, with additional job losses possible through a union seniority process affecting all departments.
Microsoft announced layoffs of 9,000 employees globally, representing 4% of its workforce, as part of a major restructuring effort. The article mentions a Microsoft building in Vancouver, BC, Canada, indicating Canadian operations are affected by these layoffs.
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