Nov 24 – Nov 30, 2025

Red River College Polytechnic is laying off 44 staff members at its Centre for Newcomer Integration in spring 2026, consisting of 13 permanent positions and 31 term positions expiring March 31, due to federal funding cuts to language training programs. The layoffs will reduce the centre's annual capacity from 6,700 seats to 1,360 and eliminate stage two language training, affecting approximately 1,400 newcomers.

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.

Horizon Media laid off six senior executives as part of organizational changes. The affected employees held positions including investment director, strategy supervisor, associate director of strategy, group account director, director of innovation, trading manager, and planning director roles.

The Canadian federal government's implementation of AI translation tools (GCtranslate) is expected to result in approximately 339 job losses among the 1,300+ employees in the Translation Bureau. The union representing translators and language experts warns that relying on AI without human oversight risks translation quality and threatens the protection of French language services across Canadian government operations.

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.

Bell Canada laid off approximately 700 managers in a mass restructuring described as highly efficient with minimal legal resistance. The layoffs were driven by cost-cutting to improve earnings and hit performance targets rather than crisis response.

West Fraser Timber Co. announced the closure of its lumber mill in 100 Mile House, British Columbia by the end of 2025, resulting in 165 job losses. The company cited inability to reliably access economically viable timber supplies locally and from other regions, compounded by U.S. tariffs on softwood lumber and reduced fibre availability from insect outbreaks and wildfires.

George Brown College suspended enrolment in two hospitality programs (hospitality/hotel operations management and food and beverage/restaurant management) at its Toronto chef school, while continuing to offer these diplomas through a partnership with The North Land Institute of Training in Dubai. The decision has drawn criticism from faculty unions and government officials for prioritizing international operations over Ontario students and local employment needs.