Canada HR News – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode: improving job market in Canada, upcoming layoffs of federal municipal workers, strategies to support employee mental health, fear of AI among workers and other topics.

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1. Canada’s labour market in October added 67,000 jobs, an analysis from Royal Bank of Canada | Canadian labour markets improved in October - RBC 
2. The federal government’s 2025 budget proposes cutting up to 40,000 public service jobs by 2029, sparking strong opposition from unions | Job cuts in budget would hit hard, say federal public service unions | CBC News 
3. The City of Vancouver is facing cuts of 400 jobs as part of its proposed 2026 operating budget | An estimated 400 jobs could be cut at City of Vancouver - Business in Vancouver
4. WSIB and WorkSafeNB, provincial workers’ compensation agencies have announced major financial returns to employers this fall, reflecting strong fund performance and workplace-safety outcomes across Canada | WorkSafeNB | WorkSafeNB Maintains Lowest Assessment Rate and Announces Performance Refund for Eligible Employers, WSIB returns another $2 billion in surplus funds to eligible safe Ontario businesses | WSIB 
5. A new survey commissioned by Canada Life reveals that burnout is a major financial and productivity challenge for Canadian organizations, costing $3bn annually | New Survey Reveals Burnout Is Costing Canadian Employers Millions — But There’s a Way Forward 
6. Lessons from Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), recognized by Benefit Canada organization for its innovative, data-driven approach to supporting employee mental health | Pratt & Whitney Canada awarded for data-driven approach to supporting employee mental health | Benefits Canada.com 
7. A recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey has revealed widespread job seeker’s anxiety about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on employment | Almost Half of Employed Canadian Job Seekers Fear Their Job Will Be Eliminated Due to AI | EEP CA Corporate 

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In this episode: Amazon’s union negotiations, cautious compensation trends, fresh EDI insights, the Blue Jays’ impact on workplace culture and other topics.

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1. In British Columbia, workers at Amazon’s Delta facility (YVR-2) represented by Unifor, are starting to negotiate their first collective agreement with the company | Speed-ups and workload dominate discussions at Amazon bargaining table | Unifor 
2. Labour leaders in Alberta are pledging an unprecedented response after the provincial government invoked the Notwithstanding Clause to end a three-week teachers’ strike involving over 50,000 educators | Labour leaders vow ‘unprecedented response’ as Alberta uses notwithstanding clause 
3. The Manitoba government has added 832 new teaching positions since October 2023 | Province of Manitoba | News Releases | Manitoba Government Adds 800 Teachers in Two Years 
4. Eckler’s 2026 Compensation Planning Survey, based on responses from 504 Canadian organizations, reveals a modest national average base salary increase of 3.3%, down from last year’s 3.4% | Eckler Compensation 
5. Workplaces across Canada are tapping into the electric buzz of the Toronto Blue Jays’ playoff run to boost employee engagement — win or lose | OK Blue Jays, let’s boost engagement | HRD Canada 
6. A new survey from Toronto Metropolitan University reveals that the majority of Canadian workers still view equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives positively despite media chatter about backlash | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Backlash? What Canadian Workers Really Think - Diversity Institute - Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) 

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In this episode: Research and Teaching Assistant strike at Concordia University threatening the end of the term, coroners are the first doctors in Ontario to unionize, the reaction of US federal employee to Elon Musk’ email to list weekly accomplishments face the risk of termination and other topics.

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1. Over 2,000 research and teaching assistants at Concordia University have voted 95% in favor of a strike mandate | Strike mandate: Concordia University end of term in jeopardy
2. Ontario’s Physician Coroners became the first doctors in the province to unionize | Ontario's Physician Coroners join OPSEU/SEFPO in historic vote 
3. Restaurants Canada supports the federal government's decision to remove over half of its exceptions from the Canada Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) | Restaurants Canada Statement on Interprovincial Trade - Restaurants Canada
4. 76% of Canadians worry they won’t have enough savings for retirement due to rising prices | BMO Retirement Survey: Over Three Quarters of Canadians Worry They Will Not Have Enough Retirement Savings Amid Inflation - Feb 12, 2025 
5. A new cost-cutting initiative led by Elon Musk within the Trump administration has caused confusion among U.S. federal employees | Key US agencies tell staff not to answer Musk email on what they did last week 
   
   

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In this episode: the new  Ontario’s right to disconnect policy, new personalized learning for Canada’s Airforce, compensation issues with Canada's men's soccer team, and other topics. Stay with us to get the latest HR updates.

1. Ontario’s right to disconnect policy for employees came in effect June 3.  | Your guide to the Employment Standards Act: Written policy on disconnecting from work | Ontario.ca
2. The training of Canada’s next generation of pilots is being personalized. | Why personalized learning is on the horizon for Canada’s Air Force | Ottawa Business Journal (obj.ca)
3. Canada's men's soccer team is back to training, but the players say there's still work to be done on reaching a new deal with the sport's national governing body. | Canada's men's soccer team resumes training, will play Curaçao on Thursday | CBC Sports 
4. A chartered flight arrived in New Brunswick on June 7, carrying 170 Ukrainians who are fleeing the conflict in their home country. | Ukrainian nationals arriving in New Brunswick (gnb.ca)
5. June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada. | National Indigenous History Month (rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca) 
6. Apple Inc. is increasing its compensation package and giving its U.S. retail employees a pay increase of 10 per cent or more to help them combat inflation and stave off a push to unionize across many of its stores. | Apple, Microsoft boosting employee compensation amid inflation, tight labour market | Benefits Canada.com

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In this episode: HR Director by Key Media has revealed its Best Places to Work 2022, support from the Federal Government to create apprenticeship jobs across Canada, new Respectful Workplace Policy for political staff in the Government of Alberta, pride celebrations in June, Tesla’s announcement to stop remote work, and other topics. Stay with us to get the latest HR updates.

1. On May 30 HR Director revealed its Best Places to Work 2022,  Canadian organizations that went above and beyond in helping their people through the COVID chaos.  | Best Places to Work 2022 | HRD Canada (hcamag.com)
2. The federal government is announcing nearly $247 million to help create more than 25,000 apprenticeship positions in the skilled trades across Canada. | Feds announce $247M for 25,000 apprenticeship positions | CTV News 
3. A new Respectful Workplace Policy for political staff in the Government of Alberta has been released after a comprehensive review of human resources policies.  | Premier’s Office releases Respectful Workplace Policy | alberta.ca
4. Employers announces new initiatives in celebration of Pride month, to foster greater opportunities and advance inclusion and belonging of 2SLGBTQ+ communities. | Scotiabank marks Pride Month with new initiatives to foster opportunities for LGBT+ communities (newswire.ca) ; Scotiabank Pride: Supporting LGBT+ Community | Scotiabank Canada
5. According to WorkSafeBC in 2021 over 7,000 young workers were injured on the job in BC. | Last year, over 7,000 young workers were injured on the job | WorkSafeBC
6. Ottawa has been ranked in 7th place behind Geneva for workplace balance. | Work-Life Balance: Best Cities Worldwide in 2021 | Kisi (getkisi.com)
7. Elon Musk has requested that all Tesla employees stop remote work and come back to the office for 40+ hours per week or they will be let go. | Elon Musk asks all Tesla employees to come back to the office or quit - Electrek 

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This episode includes the latest hiring news from Indeed, employment updates from the government of Newfoundland and Labrador, brain drain resulting from Baby Boomers retiring from organizations, high levels of occupational stress and compromised mental health among Canadian parole officers, and other topics. Stay with us to get the latest HR updates.

1. Indeed reports that total Canadian job postings on Indeed were up 72% on May 20, 2022 compared to their pre-pandemic level, up marginally from a month earlier.  | Canadian Job Postings Through May 20: Plateauing at a High Level (hiringlab.org) 
2. COVID-19 Vaccine Regulations in Newfoundland and Labrador, will be suspended as of June 1, 2022.   The Government has also announced the suspension of the mandatory vaccination policy for public service employees on June 1.  | COVID-19 Regulations Suspended as of June 1, 2022 - News Releases (gov.nl.ca) 
3. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador released the report from the Minimum Wage Review Committee.  | Provincial Government Releases Minimum Wage Review Committee Report - News Releases 
4. Pension and retirement plan members in Saskatchewan can now designate beneficiaries through electronic means  | Saskatchewan permitting electronic naming of beneficiaries for pensions, retirement plans | Benefits Canada.com 
5. A recent survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals found many Canadian companies are not taking adequate steps to ensure the knowledge and skills of retiring senior employees are being passed on. | https://bit.ly/3LY0Zvy 
6. The Canada-wide Union of Safety and Justice Employees' report on the mental health and wellbeing Canadian parole officers highlights that hundreds of federal parole officers who supervise Canada’s highest risk offenders are experiencing untenable levels of occupational stress and, by extension, compromised mental health. | https://bit.ly/3avAT6f 

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In this Canada HR News episode:

1.  The Government of New Brunswick has a new resource that aims to help newcomers and employers navigate its immigration process.  | Immigration Navigator service to help newcomers and employers (gnb.ca) 
2. As the workplace evolves, so do workplace hazards. Canadian Occupational Safety magazine recently looked at what new risks that may arise in future. | The health and safety risks of tomorrow | Canadian Occupational Safety (thesafetymag.com) 
3. A new report finds Canadian journalists experience alarming levels of work-related stress and trauma. | Canadian journalists facing ‘alarming’ levels of mental health struggles: report - National | Globalnews.ca ;  TakingCare_EN (squarespace.com)
4. Employees of five Starbucks locations in Lethbridge have filed an application for a union certification vote with the Alberta Labour Relations Board. | Starbucks workers in Lethbridge make efforts to unionize | CBC News 
5. A new survey from RBC Future Launch and Youthful Cities shows that young people live in a monthly deficit position in Canadian cities. | Real Affordability Index 2022 - Youthful Cities

If you would like to be a guest on the podcast, send us a message at LinkedIn or X @CadHRNews

In this Canada HR News episode:

1. Parts of Ontario have been devastated by storms that left people dead and many more without power. HRD Canada recommends some actions that employers can support their workers.  | Ontario storm: How to support your employees through the crisis | HRD Canada (hcamag.com)
2. Strong hiring optimism continues into the third quarter of 2022, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey. | PowerPoint Presentation (manpowergroup.ca)
3. The Conference Board of Canada continues to report higher prices. With inflation at 6.8 per cent, the highest since January 1991, affordability remains a key concern for consumers and workers.  | Consumers Feel the Pinch of Higher Prices (conferenceboard.ca) 
4. LifeWorks released its monthly Mental Health Index™ that showed that Canadians are expressing more stress sensitivity concerns about themselves and their colleagues, compared to pre-pandemic. | Nearly half of Canadians are more sensitive to stress than before the pandemic | LifeWorks
5. Benefits Canada described the program of Capital One Canada that supports employee wellbeing through learning and development. | Capital One Canada fostering employee well-being through learning, development | Benefits Canada.com
6. CPA Canada summarizes actions that Canada’s accounting firms such as KPMG, PwC, EY, and Deloitte take to expand their disability workplace policies, support networks and recruitment efforts. | ‘Having differing abilities is an advantage and what we are looking for’ (cpacanada.ca) 

If you would like to be a guest on the podcast, send us a message at LinkedIn or X @CadHRNews

In this Canada HR News episode:

1. Indeed reports that demand for seasonal workers is up across a range of jobs. |     Seasonal Job Opportunities Boom After Two Cold Years (hiringlab.org) 
2. Implementing HR programs is harder than ever as HR Leaders face challenges related to low employee engagement, staffing shortages and turnover. | Short staffing, employee engagement and high turnover – the demands on shift work leaders piling up, details new Ento survey
3. Employees and partners of KPMG Canada can work remotely outside of their home province for up to 8 weeks/ year, of which a maximum of 4 weeks can be outside Canada. | KPMG launches 'roam' program | Canadian HR Reporter 
4. Faced with a major labour shortage, Quebec wants to rely more on foreign workers to meet their staffing needs, and government wants to provide them with better supervision and support. | Expanded squad aims to better protect rights of Quebec's temporary foreign workers | CTV News 
5. The Alberta Disability Workers Association says the industry is facing a staffing crisis, and it has launched a campaign calling on the provincial government to take action. |       ‘Staffing crisis’: Advocates say Alberta disability workers leaving jobs because of low wages | Globalnews.ca
6. U.S. Soccer Federation, women’s and men’s national team unions agree to historic collective bargaining agreements to achieve equal pay through identical economic terms. | U.S. Soccer Federation, Women’s And Men’s National Team Unions Agree To Historic Collective Bargaining Agreements (ussoccer.com)

If you would like to be a guest on the podcast, send us a message at LinkedIn or X @CadHRNews

In this Canada HR News episode:

1.  CIBC and RBC banks are improving benefits and compensation for their staff. | CIBC offering gender affirmation coverage, enhancing fertility benefits, paid parental leave | Benefits Canada.com. RBC is hiking base salaries of some employees by 3% as cost of living soars - National | Globalnews.ca 
2. Starbucks Commits $1 Billion in US employees in Fiscal Year 2022 Investments to Uplift Starbucks Partners as unionization spreads. | Starbucks announces $1 billion investment in US employees as unionization efforts spread (yahoo.com).  Starbucks Commits $1 Billion in FY22 Investments to Uplift Starbucks Partners and the Store Experience 
3. Burnout is a growing issue for many workers, including those who have flexible schedules, new research from talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half shows. | Almost 4 in 10 Canadian Workers Report Increased Burnout, Robert Half Research Shows | Robert Half
4. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling on workers’ compensation boards (WCBs) across Canada to rebate surplus funds back to small business owners. | Canada’s Workers' Compensation Boards should return over $5 billion in excess funds | CFIB (cfib-fcei.ca)
5. May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada. It is an opportunity for us to learn more about the many achievements and contributions of Canadians of Asian heritage who, throughout our history, have done so much to make Canada the country we know and love. | May is Asian Heritage Month - Canada.ca

Stay with us to get the latest HR updates! We are on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify and other platforms. Follow us on twitter at @cadHRnews or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/cadhrnews. 

If you would like to be a guest on the podcast, send us a message at LinkedIn or X @CadHRNews