Quebec

EA has laid off developers across all four Battlefield Studios teams, including the Montreal-based Motive studio, despite Battlefield 6 being the best-selling game of 2025. The exact number of affected employees at each studio remains unclear, though EA stated the changes were made to better align teams around community priorities.

As luxury online retailer Ssense battles for survival, the Montreal-based fashion company reported layoffs at their Chabanel St. and St-Laurent locations to the Quebec government last month, bringing the total number of layoffs to 215 since the company filed for bankruptcy protection in August. Ssense also reported 20 layoffs in February 2025 and 72 layoffs in May, bringing the total count to 307 in the last year.

Ssense also reported 20 layoffs in February 2025 and 72 layoffs in May, bringing the total count to 307 in the last year.

Ssense also reported 20 layoffs in February 2025 and 72 layoffs in May, bringing the total count to 307 in the last year.

Exo, the public transit authority operating commuter trains and buses across the greater Montreal area, is cutting 73 positions representing 11% of its workforce as part of a three-year optimization plan mandated by the Quebec government to reduce spending by $100 million annually by 2028. Management and customer service departments are expected to be hit hardest, with only 16% of the layoffs coming from vacant positions and the remainder involving elimination of currently occupied roles.

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.

Concordia University announced it will not renew limited-term contracts for 63 full-time faculty members as of June 2026 due to a 23% drop in international student enrollment and significant budget shortfalls. The cost-cutting measures also include deferring sabbaticals and offering voluntary retirement packages to full-time faculty, driven by federal and provincial immigration policy restrictions that have reduced the university's revenue projections by approximately $84 million.

SRTX Inc., maker of Sheertex pantyhose, is laying off close to 100 employees as part of a strategic review that could result in a company sale or recapitalization. The Montreal-based company hopes to recall the laid-off staff after the review process concludes.

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) has announced 300 job cuts as the transit authority faces two upcoming strikes. The layoffs come amid labor tensions with STM mechanics and other staff.

PACCAR announced 300 additional layoffs at its Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec plant due to heavy-duty truck tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. This follows previous layoffs in December 2024 and July 2025, prompting Unifor to call for a domestic procurement plan to save the facility.

SRTX laid off 92 people (26% of its 350-person workforce) in Quebec, with 92 of the 140 employees temporarily cut in February now being permanently terminated. The layoffs are part of the company's cost-reduction efforts as it pursues profitability under new CEO Sophie Boulanger following a challenging period marked by tariff impacts and prior funding challenges.

Smurfit Westrock will permanently close one paper machine at its La Tuque mill and an extrusion facility in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec, resulting in approximately 90 workforce reductions (30 at La Tuque and 60 at Pointe-aux-Trembles). The closure addresses ongoing scale and cost challenges with the paper machine's 127,000 ton annual production capacity of solid bleached sulfate (SBS) products.

The SAAQ (Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec), Quebec's auto insurance board, is eliminating 100 jobs as part of the Legault government's cost-cutting measures. The layoffs were announced on October 14, 2025.