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Feb 2025 – Dec 2025Largest Single Event
Layoff events in Ontario — 2025
Top 20 · by headcountStellantis announced a two-week shutdown of the Windsor Assembly Plant resulting in the layoff of approximately 6,000 autoworkers. The shutdown was documented on April 4, 2025, when workers left after the last day shift before the closure.
Stellantis laid off 3,200 workers at its Brampton Assembly plant in Ontario after pausing a retooling plan in February 2025 and subsequently moving production of the new electric Jeep Compass to the United States. The decision, announced October 14, 2025, was attributed to U.S. tariff pressure and trade agreement compliance issues, leaving thousands of Canadian families facing financial instability.
Scotiabank laid off approximately 2,495 employees in Toronto on June 1, 2025, after notifying the federal government of the group termination in late February. The bank had requested waivers from certain Canada Labour Code obligations, though the government confirmed the employer met its obligations under the code.
General Motors is cutting one of three shifts at its Oshawa plant in January 2026, resulting in approximately 2,000 layoffs. Despite the shift reduction, GM is investing $280 million to build the next generation of Chevrolet Silverados at the plant, which currently employs around 3,000 workers.
GM Canada is cutting one of three shifts at its Oshawa plant, affecting up to 1,200 autoworkers throughout the auto supply chain, with approximately 500 being direct GM employees. The layoffs take effect on Friday, January 31, 2026, as the company scales back Canadian operations citing forecasted demand and the evolving trade environment.
Algoma Steel is laying off 1,000 workers at its Sault Ste. Marie facility in March 2026. The United Steelworkers Union and Canadian Skills Training and Employment Coalition have launched the POWER Action Centre to provide employment support, training advice, and peer-to-peer assistance to affected employees.
Shopify announced ongoing workforce reductions through 2024-2026, with the workforce falling from approximately 8,300 to 7,600 employees. Cuts have impacted customer support, partnerships, and revenue operations teams.
Fanshawe College in London, Ontario is eliminating 400 full-time jobs (35% of its workforce) due to new caps on international students and provincial underfunding. The college is also suspending enrolment in 40 of its 220+ programs, with its international student population dropping from 8,500 to 4,200 students.
Mohawk College laid off at least 380 employees and suspended more than a dozen programs in late 2024 and early 2025 to address an expected $50-million deficit caused by federal caps on international student permits. The college's cuts are part of a broader crisis affecting Ontario colleges, which have collectively cut $1.8 billion, suspended over 600 programs, and eliminated more than 8,000 positions due to reduced international student enrollment.
The Public Health Agency of Canada is cutting approximately 320 jobs, representing 10 per cent of its workforce, as part of a post-pandemic recalibration effort. Letters to impacted employees are expected to be distributed the following week.
Ridgewood Industries, a furniture manufacturer in Cornwall, Ontario, will close in September 2025 after 55 years in business, resulting in 300 job losses. Parent company Dorel Industries cited the U.S. economy and the need to return to profitability as reasons for the closure of the domestic manufacturing operations.
Mohawk College is offering voluntary buyout packages to full-time administrative, faculty, and support staff, with applications open until the end of January. This follows massive layoffs of 255 full-time jobs (20% of workforce) that occurred between December 2024 and February 2025, which were driven by a projected $50 million deficit and reduced international student enrollment.
The Canadian passport office is cutting 250 jobs, according to a union announcement. The layoffs affect government employees working at the Ottawa-based passport processing facility.
TFT Global Inc., an auto parts supplier at General Motors' Oshawa plant, is laying off 245 of its 873 hourly workers on September 26, 2025. The layoffs are connected to GM's planned reduction of a third shift at the facility amid U.S. tariffs threatening Canada's auto sector.
Crown Royal announced the closure of its Amherstburg plant in Ontario, resulting in layoffs of 200 workers. The plant closure represents a significant impact on the local workforce in the region.
Nearly 200 workers were suddenly laid off at the NextStar EV battery plant in Windsor, Ontario. The layoffs occurred at a contractor facility as the automotive sector faces uncertainty amid U.S. tariffs and trade tensions.
About 200 construction workers were laid off at Canada's first large-scale electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Windsor, Ontario, affecting 145 millwrights and ironworkers, 45 electricians, and three pipe fitters. NextStar Energy stated the layoffs do not impact its workforce or operations and are part of standard project adjustments.
Conestoga College is laying off at least 190 staff and suspending 82 programs due to a 48% drop in international student enrollment caused by the federal international study permit cap. This is part of a broader crisis affecting Ontario's 24 public colleges, with over 10,000 faculty and staff being laid off or projected to lose their jobs across the province.
Conestoga College laid off 181 full-time faculty positions effective March 16, 2026, with the majority of cuts (143 employees) occurring at the Kitchener Doon campus. The layoffs are attributed to financial troubles resulting from a significant drop in international student enrollment, following a 20,000 student decline after federal international student caps were implemented.
Diageo Canada announced the closure of its bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ontario, which bottles Canadian-made Crown Royal whisky, resulting in the loss of 160 jobs. Unifor Local 200 president John D'Agnolo vowed to fight the closure and called on the LCBO to remove Crown Royal from shelves to pressure the company economically.