Manufacturing

Magna International announced layoffs of approximately 400 workers at its Formet Industries factory in St. Thomas, Ontario, representing about one quarter of the plant's 1,600-person workforce. The layoffs are a result of declining sales of full-size trucks and sport utility vehicles as the downturn works through from automakers to suppliers.

Truck manufacturer Paccar laid off 300 workers in Quebec. The layoffs were announced ahead of anticipated U.S. tariffs.

Bestar Inc., a Quebec furniture maker owned by private equity firm Novacap, is shutting down its two factories in Quebec including the Lac-Mégantic plant and the Sherbrooke plant. Approximately 120 unionized workers in Lac-Mégantic will lose their jobs in addition to management employees, with a formal announcement expected on Thursday morning.

South Shore Furniture, a Quebec-based furniture maker founded in 1940, is closing all operations and laying off all 126 employees. The company cited a 77% drop in sales between 2022 and 2025 due to cheap Asian furniture flooding the market and American tariffs impacting cross-border sales.

Lassonde Industries announced 80 job cuts at its Sun-Rype plant in Kelowna, BC as it moves beverage packing operations to facilities in Calgary, Toronto, and Rougemont. The transition will occur in phases through December 2026, while apple processing and snack production will continue at the Kelowna location.

General Motors laid off 500 workers from its Oshawa plant this year, with approximately 1,200 additional layoffs across feeder plants in the auto industry. The layoffs have contributed to Oshawa's shrinking auto sector and high unemployment rate of 7.9 percent.

According with a letter received on april 16 was because the current market conditions have affected Palliser and the demand for product.

Woodbridge Foam's Blenheim plant is undergoing retooling to produce products for the housing industry, resulting in short-term or indefinite layoffs beginning in May 2026 and continuing through December. Up to 88 hourly and 8 salaried employees could be laid off from the 155-person workforce.

CAE is cutting 2% of its workforce as aviation demand weakens. The company is shifting focus toward defense growth opportunities.

El-Met-Parts Inc., a steel fabrication company in Dundas, Ontario, laid off all 31 unionized workers on March 20, 2026, citing financial difficulties related to U.S. steel tariffs. The company filed for creditor protection in November 2025 and has proposed rehiring workers as contractors without union protection or severance.

Algoma Steel is laying off 300 employees beginning Monday, March 24, 2026. The layoffs are partially attributed to tariffs impacting the steelmaking operation in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Tree Island Steel, a Richmond, British Columbia-based wire and fabricated wire products manufacturer, implemented a 27% workforce reduction in response to a sharp revenue decline in 2025. The downturn was driven by lower U.S. volumes amid expanded U.S. tariffs, resulting in full-year sales falling to $161.8 million from $207.0 million and a net loss of $5.3 million.

Jahn Engineering, a Windsor-based tool and die shop, has experienced a nearly 70% drop in sales following U.S. policy changes including tariff increases and EV subsidy withdrawals, forcing the company to conduct layoffs. The disruption stems from major automakers canceling or delaying vehicle orders, creating widespread uncertainty across the North American auto supply chain.

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.

London Machinery is laying off approximately 50 of its 200 workers and shifting production to a new plant in Iowa in response to 25% tariffs imposed on Canadian goods sold to the U.S. The London facility will remain open and continue manufacturing concrete mixers for the Canadian market.

General Motors laid off more than 1,000 employees at its CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario due to the end of BrightDrop electric-vehicle production, with an additional 500 employees affected at the Oshawa Assembly plant. The Conservative Party is calling on the federal government to reduce withholding taxes on severance packages for the affected workers.

Palliser Furniture laid off approximately 40 workers in early 2026 due to staffing reorganization and the impact of Trump-era tariffs. At the same time, the company hired about 20 workers for other manufacturing roles at its Winnipeg plant. The layoffs mainly affected employees doing wood frame building, foam cutting, and assembly, while new hires focus on cutting and sewing material, previously done in Mexico.

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.

Coca-Cola Canada announced the discontinuation of frozen juice production at its Minute Maid facility in Peterborough, Ontario, resulting in 6 permanent layoffs—significantly less than the initially projected 40 job losses. The union negotiated enhanced severance packages and ensured all remaining employees would stay in Peterborough as other Minute Maid products continue to be produced at the facility.