Canadian Layoff Tracker

Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario is experiencing a faculty strike after failed negotiations over a new collective agreement. The strike follows the university's bankruptcy-driven restructuring four years ago, which resulted in the elimination of 110 teaching positions and significant cuts to salaries, pensions, and benefits for faculty, librarians, and counsellors.

Ontario's public college sector has shed over 8,000 jobs and axed more than 600 programs over the past year, with Conestoga College issuing approximately 400 layoff notices to faculty and support staff. The sector faces a projected structural deficit of up to $1.5 billion by 2027-28 due to international student revenue losses and underfunding.

The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre plans to eliminate 15 jobs at its long-term care facility (Royal Ottawa Place) and an additional 5 jobs elsewhere, affecting nurses and personal support workers. The union CUPE 942 warns the cuts will negatively impact care for patients with serious mental health issues, while the hospital disputes this and claims the staffing changes reflect regular business operations.

General Motors paused production of an electric cargo van at its Ingersoll, Ontario plant, resulting in 1,000 job cuts. The layoffs were attributed to impacts from U.S. President Donald Trump's import tariffs on Canadian goods affecting the auto industry.

The North Bay Regional Health Centre announced the reduction of 40 positions, including front-line positions, prompting a protest outside MPP Vic Fedeli's constituency office. The cuts have raised concerns about quality of care and emergency room wait times, with supporters calling for increased hospital funding instead of workforce reductions.

Algoma Steel is laying off 1,000 workers at its Sault Ste. Marie facility in March 2026. The United Steelworkers Union and Canadian Skills Training and Employment Coalition have launched the POWER Action Centre to provide employment support, training advice, and peer-to-peer assistance to affected employees.

Conestoga College laid off 181 full-time faculty positions effective March 16, 2026, with the majority of cuts (143 employees) occurring at the Kitchener Doon campus. The layoffs are attributed to financial troubles resulting from a significant drop in international student enrollment, following a 20,000 student decline after federal international student caps were implemented.

Mohawk College is offering voluntary buyout packages to full-time administrative, faculty, and support staff, with applications open until the end of January. This follows massive layoffs of 255 full-time jobs (20% of workforce) that occurred between December 2024 and February 2025, which were driven by a projected $50 million deficit and reduced international student enrollment.

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.

Stellantis has made a significant investment in Canada, but Canadian workers, represented by Unifor, are expressing anger regarding the decision. The specific details of the layoffs and investment are not available from the title alone.

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.

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.

Mohawk College laid off at least 380 employees and suspended more than a dozen programs in late 2024 and early 2025 to address an expected $50-million deficit caused by federal caps on international student permits. The college's cuts are part of a broader crisis affecting Ontario colleges, which have collectively cut $1.8 billion, suspended over 600 programs, and eliminated more than 8,000 positions due to reduced international student enrollment.

Kitchener Public Library announced a restructuring that will result in 5 layoffs while simultaneously creating 4 new full-time positions and 1 new part-time position. The union representing library workers warns that the changes will reduce the number of staff overseeing community programs from 36 to 12 full-time roles, potentially impacting library services and specialized programs.

GM Canada is cutting one of three shifts at its Oshawa plant, affecting up to 1,200 autoworkers throughout the auto supply chain, with approximately 500 being direct GM employees. The layoffs take effect on Friday, January 31, 2026, as the company scales back Canadian operations citing forecasted demand and the evolving trade environment.

Ontario's 24 public colleges are facing significant job losses and program cuts due to reduced international student tuition revenue, limited provincial funding, and a seven-year tuition freeze, with up to 10,000 college jobs already lost in the past year. Efficiency reports recommend colleges automate services, outsource operations, merge campuses, and consider consolidating institutions to reduce costs, sparking concerns from the support staff union about further layoffs and campus closures.

General Motors is cutting one of three shifts at its Oshawa plant in January 2026, resulting in approximately 2,000 layoffs. Despite the shift reduction, GM is investing $280 million to build the next generation of Chevrolet Silverados at the plant, which currently employs around 3,000 workers.

Algoma University is laying off between 50 and 75 employees to manage a $5.5 million to $7 million operating deficit caused by a 60% drop in international student enrolment, which exceeded the 50% decrease projected in April's budget. The university's fall enrolment is anticipated to be approximately 4,482 students, roughly half of the previous year's total of over 9,000 students across all campuses.

TFT Global Inc., an auto parts supplier at General Motors' Oshawa plant, is laying off 245 of its 873 hourly workers on September 26, 2025. The layoffs are connected to GM's planned reduction of a third shift at the facility amid U.S. tariffs threatening Canada's auto sector.

General Motors has postponed the closure of its third shift at the Oshawa plant from November 2025 to January 30, 2026, affecting approximately 750 workers. The delay also extends employment for around 1,500 auto parts supplier workers who depend on the plant's production of Chevrolet Silverado trucks.