August 2025

Queen's University's Faculty of Arts and Science laid off four Chemistry department staff members in July 2025 due to budget cuts, including positions for a Computer Network Administrator, Technical Support Assistant, Electronics Technician, and Chemical Stores role. Five additional FAS support staff had their positions eliminated but were reassigned to new roles within the faculty, as part of broader cost-reduction efforts.

Edward Jones conducted layoffs in Canada as of August 2025. The article discusses severance rights and packages available to affected employees.

Diageo Canada announced the closure of its bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ontario, which bottles Canadian-made Crown Royal whisky, resulting in the loss of 160 jobs. Unifor Local 200 president John D'Agnolo vowed to fight the closure and called on the LCBO to remove Crown Royal from shelves to pressure the company economically.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.