Canadian Layoff Tracker

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.

Fanshawe College is proceeding with a 35% staffing cut in 2025. The layoffs represent a significant reduction in the institution's workforce.

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.

Metrolinx laid off more than 40 customer service employees from the GO Contact Centre during the week of July 7, 2025, transferring their functions to HGS Canada, a company headquartered in India. The layoffs occurred days before Metrolinx apologized for using AI in a social media response to customer concerns following a Coldplay concert at Rogers Stadium.

Ridgewood Industries, a furniture manufacturer in Cornwall, Ontario, will close in September 2025 after 55 years in business, resulting in 300 job losses. Parent company Dorel Industries cited the U.S. economy and the need to return to profitability as reasons for the closure of the domestic manufacturing operations.

Conestoga College is laying off at least 190 staff and suspending 82 programs due to a 48% drop in international student enrollment caused by the federal international study permit cap. This is part of a broader crisis affecting Ontario's 24 public colleges, with over 10,000 faculty and staff being laid off or projected to lose their jobs across the province.

The Township of Fauquier-Strickland in Northern Ontario announced it will cease all municipal services and lay off five township employees as of August 1, 2025, due to a $2.5-million operating deficit. The municipality of 467 people exhausted its cash reserves and faced the choice between shutting down services or implementing a 190-230 percent property tax increase on residents.

The City of Windsor eliminated 38 seasonal and part-time caretaker positions at arenas and community centres due to a failed agreement on job protection with CUPE Local 82. The union had negotiated for 19 months seeking a memorandum of understanding to prevent elimination of full-time positions while seasonal employees remain employed.

Nearly 200 workers were suddenly laid off at the NextStar EV battery plant in Windsor, Ontario. The layoffs occurred at a contractor facility as the automotive sector faces uncertainty amid U.S. tariffs and trade tensions.

About 200 construction workers were laid off at Canada's first large-scale electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Windsor, Ontario, affecting 145 millwrights and ironworkers, 45 electricians, and three pipe fitters. NextStar Energy stated the layoffs do not impact its workforce or operations and are part of standard project adjustments.

Spinrite, a 73-year-old yarn manufacturing company based in Listowel, Ontario, has shut down its flagship manufacturing facility, eliminating 140 jobs. The company will also close its on-site brick-and-mortar outlet store in September, though its distribution office and online operations will continue.

Fanshawe College in London, Ontario is eliminating 400 full-time jobs (35% of its workforce) due to new caps on international students and provincial underfunding. The college is also suspending enrolment in 40 of its 220+ programs, with its international student population dropping from 8,500 to 4,200 students.

theScore laid off approximately half of its editorial staff, including 75 people based in Toronto. The layoffs occurred about a year prior to this April 2026 article.

General Motors announced in April 2025 that its CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario would temporarily halt production of BrightDrop electric delivery vans, with approximately 650 of its 1,200 workers expected to remain laid off when production resumed at half capacity in November. In October 2025, GM announced it would end BrightDrop production altogether, with affected employees receiving six months' salary and other benefits according to their collective agreement with Unifor Local 88.

Stellantis announced a two-week shutdown of the Windsor Assembly Plant resulting in the layoff of approximately 6,000 autoworkers. The shutdown was documented on April 4, 2025, when workers left after the last day shift before the closure.

Shopify announced ongoing workforce reductions through 2024-2026, with the workforce falling from approximately 8,300 to 7,600 employees. Cuts have impacted customer support, partnerships, and revenue operations teams.

General Motors will cut the third shift at its Oshawa Assembly plant on January 30, 2025, resulting in approximately 2,000 job losses including 750 direct GM workers and 1,250 supply-chain workers. The layoffs come amid high unemployment rates in Oshawa and threats from U.S. tariffs affecting the auto industry.

The Stellantis plant in Brampton has been idled for a year and a half with 3,000 workers without jobs after planned production of the Jeep Compass was moved to Illinois. The plant remains closed and workers remain unemployed as of the article publication date.

Canada Metal Processing Group laid off 140 workers across Ontario and Quebec. The layoffs occurred shortly after Trump's tariffs were introduced.

Canada Metal Processing Group laid off 140 workers in Ontario and Quebec shortly after Trump's tariffs were introduced. The layoffs occurred a year before Algoma Steel's December 2025 announcement.