Weekly Summary
Mar 2 – Mar 8, 2026
The federal government's plan to reduce the public service by 15 per cent over three years will result in more than 800 positions being cut at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). The cuts threaten Canada's Arctic science research capabilities, including long-term monitoring of toxins and contaminants that inform international environmental treaties and policies.
Lightspeed Commerce has significantly reduced headcount in its customer support team after AI resolved over 80 percent of inbound chat interactions. The company boosted overall gross margins through this AI-driven workforce reduction.
Hudson's Bay laid off 41 staff as it continues to unwind operations one year after filing for creditor protection on March 7, 2025. The retailer closed all 80 of its stores by June 2025 due to $1.1 billion in insurmountable debt, with 73 of the 96 vacated HBC and Saks properties remaining unopened as of March 2026.
BCE Inc. cut 1700 net jobs in 2025, reducing its workforce from 40,390 to 38,683 employees, marking the second consecutive year of major losses. The layoffs, attributed to industry contraction, cost-cutting measures, and technology upgrades, included 650 management positions and 40 Bell Media employees.
Stellantis laid off approximately 20 salaried, non-union employees at its Brampton assembly plant on March 6, 2026, for a 55-week period. The layoffs follow the company's decision to move Jeep Compass production from Brampton to Belvidere, Illinois due to U.S. tariffs on Canadian autos.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police will cut 76 positions at its national headquarters in Ottawa as the national police force looks to find billions of dollars in savings in its budget.
Loopio is reportedly cutting 30 positions in March 2026 as part of a restructuring effort. The specific details regarding affected provinces, cities, and percentage of workforce are not available from the title alone.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University is laying off unionized staff and cutting costs due to a sharp drop in international student enrolment, aiming to save $5 million—about 40–45 full-time positions—through staff reductions, frozen overtime, and unfilled vacancies.
Meanwhile, at Vancouver Community College, the administration says that 70 regular faculty member will be losing their jobs.
Trinity Western University is laying off approximately 75 staff members due to federal restrictions on international student study permits, which have reduced enrolment and created financial pressures. The cuts are part of cost-saving measures implemented across the Canadian post-secondary landscape following a 7% reduction in maximum international student permits for 2026.
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.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic says a perpetual threat of layoffs and program cuts is starting to wear down faculty. The school recently eliminated 23 full-time and part-time jobs and is suspending its health information management program for the 2026–27 school year. According to Sask. Polytechnic, the moves are the result of "a financial shortfall resulting from federal immigration policy changes" and are needed "to support long-term program sustainability."
Vendasta has confirmed layoffs at its Saskatoon office, cutting 20 employees, roughly 3% of its workforce. Most affected roles were in content creation. The company attributed the reductions to shifts in the software market driven by artificial intelligence.