20 Best Companies to Work for in Canada 2021

Tech companies are renowned for the perks they offer and Adobe Systems Canada is no different: sit-stand workstations, an on-site fitness facility, a well-equipped employee lounge that even has a keg set-up with local craft beers and on-site food and drinks outlets like Starbucks.

Based in Ottawa, which is one of Canada’s next tech hubs and one of the most diverse tech scenes in the country, Adobe Systems Canada also has an on-site religious observance room. Other perks include tuition subsidies and the Women’s Executive Shadow program. When Covid hit, the company not only committed $1 million to match and then double employee donations to relief organizations but also created a fund to help employees create workspaces at home.

The Bank of Canada is especially highly rated as an employer for its work atmosphere and the physical workspace of its Ottawa headquarters. Employees also love the way the company supports their career development: for example, covering up to 100% of tuition for job-related courses and up to 75% for courses not related to your job, as well as leadership development programs and second-language training in French and English. The bank responded to the pandemic by having 90% of its workforce move to working from home: a feat it pulled off within two days.

The Canada Mortgage and housing Corporation – or CMHC – started encouraging employees to work from when and where they wanted in 2019 already, so transitioning to working from home when Covid-related restrictions started was pretty smooth sailing. The CMHC’s head office in Ottawa doesn’t have assigned offices, not even for the CEO, but has amenities like a religious observance room, a lactation room, an on-site cafeteria and on-site fitness facility that’s accessible 24/7.

Employees love the extensive family and health benefits, including parental top-ups or up to 93% of salaries for up to 35 weeks for mothers and fathers. CMHC also covers up to 100% tuition per year, even for courses unrelated to the job.

There’s not much that employees don’t like about working at CIBC. Among the many benefits of working for the bank are discounts on insurance, low-interest home loans, waived banking fees and one of the best pension plans in Canada. CIBC’s pandemic response included extra payments for employees – including temporary front-line employees – who had to come into the office, as well as an extra 10 paid personal days for employees who had to adapt to home schooling and the like. Through its Purpose Day program, the bank also encourages employees to dedicate one day a year to anything that will help them achieve their life goals.

There are different ways to boost your confidence at work but let’s face it: it really, really helps if your employer shows appreciation for what you’re doing. This is one of the things employees love most about Fidelity Canada: there are all kinds of awards and rewards for employees who perform well and go the extra mile. Moreover, Fidelity Canada has a program called Voice of the Employee: this encourages employees to share their suggestions by implementing good ideas and then awarding the employee with up to $2,000 for these. Fidelity Canada’s Covid response included offering temporary reimbursements of up to $300 for home office equipment and offering reimbursable virtual fitness programs.

Imperial Oil’s Calgary head office has a range of amenities that make workdays easier, including and on-site massage centre and a 50-acre environmental reserve. One of Imperial Oil’s biggest strengths is its dedication to career training and development, with tuition subsidies of up to $20,000 per year even for courses not related to the employee’s current job, as well as more than 10,000 in-house and online courses.

Energy companies don’t always have the best reputation when it comes to how they treat the broader community but employees commend Imperial Oil’s commitment to, for instance, strengthening Indigenous communities. The company gives employees paid time off to volunteer and donates $25 for every hour an employee volunteers. Its pandemic response has included donations of materials to make hand sanitizer, laptops for students and free fuel vouchers for frontline healthcare workers.

One of the best things about working at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is the health and family benefits. There is a strong focus on mental health, with access to a variety of resources that can help employees with their mental health in what has been a very difficult year: including a mental health practitioner benefit of up to $2,000 per year. Employees can get a variety of rewards and awards too, including the Deputy Ministers’ Award of Merit and the Public Service Award of Excellence.

Audit firm KPMG LLP offers employees extensive but flexible health plans where they allocate dollars towards what they need most. There are great benefits for parents and prospective parents too, including IVF and adoption subsidies and a support network for working parents. Employees also love the firm’s training and development programs, including CPA training, and its community involvement, which includes paid time off for volunteering and matching charitable donations.

When Covid hit, KPMG LLP created support networks to help employees stay connected and adapt and also helped employees with the equipment and furniture they needed to work remotely. The firm also provides formal education on racism and how to remove barriers and biases in its own corporate culture.

Labatt Brewing Company Limited was one of Canada’s best employers for young people in 2020, with good reason. Employees love its amenities-filled head office on Toronto’s waterfront and the excellent variety of snacks available. They also love the free beer. The company offers a variety of training opportunities for employees and academic scholarships for their children. Employees are encouraged to volunteer, with the company giving them paid time off and matching their donations. Labatt’s Disaster Relief Program has always focused on providing safe drinking water to disaster-stricken areas and in 2020, the company used its canning infrastructure to produce and donate bottles of hand sanitizer.

If you want one of those retail jobs that won’t make you pull your hair out, the first step is to find employment with a retailer that treats its employees well. Loblaw Companies Limited’s Brampton head office boasts just about every amenity employees could want, including an on-site fitness centre, medical centre, cafeteria and convenience store, and employees get discounts at local restaurants.

A great strength for the company is its efficient communication channels for employees, including the ability to email questions directly to the chairperson. Employees also get to be involved in charity, with paid time off to volunteer and the company matching their donations. Loblaw Companies Limited’s pandemic response included partnering each store with a local food bank and donating to food banks across Canada.

Medical devices company Medtronic Canada not only recognizes employees’ performance but also encourages them with contests throughout the year. There is also an emphasis on education and training, with subsidies that can cover up to 100% of tuition fees even for courses unrelated to an employee’s current job. Employees who are considering a change can take part in interdepartmental job shadowing or short-term reassignments to other departments or international offices.

The company also encourages volunteering and responded to the Covid-19 pandemic early on by making the blueprints for its proprietary ventilator available to other manufacturers, speeding up production. Employees have been receiving a monthly internet subsidy and care packages.

Oil and gas distribution company Pembina Pipeline Corporation has its Calgary head office in a building with one of Canada’s largest green roofs, complete with apiary. Employees have access to a host of amenities, including an on-site fitness facility. One of the reasons employees love working for Pembina Pipeline Corporation is the company’s community involvement. However, the financial rewards of working here are really sweet too: corporate discounts; travel, computer and car benefits; referral bonuses and a share purchase plan available to all employees. If you’re dreaming of retiring at 40, Pembina Pipeline Corporation also helps employees with retirement planning and offers phase-in work options.

SaskTel employees love the telecommunications company’s workplace atmosphere and the vast employee networks. They also list the rewards and awards in recognition of their work, the company’s community involvement and opportunities for meaningful volunteering and the various training initiatives as particular strengths of working for SaskTel.

The company also takes care of employees’ health and wellness, for instance through a voluntary six-week program where employees can address their work/life balance and self-care strategies and through a program that supports employees whose traditional health benefits programs don’t cover all their healthcare needs.

There is very little that employees of Schneider Electric Canada don’t like about their employer. Among the companies particular strengths are the financial benefits, which include great discounts and subsidized internet; rewards and awards for their work; and great training programs and super generous tuition subsidies of up to $13,000 per year, even for courses not related to an employee’s current job.

The company matches employees’ charitable donations and gives them paid time off for volunteering. As part of its Covid-19 response, Schneider Electric Canada extended its formal paid care leave policy for employees who needed to care for a family member who tested positive for the virus and to self-quarantine.

Shopify’s head office already shows that the company takes care of its employees and individuals, offering for instance a variety of workspaces for those who prefer solitude and those who like to work in a more social setting. The on-site fitness facility offers not only the usual yoga classes but also acro-yoga and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. There are generous vacation policies and extra time off during the holidays, awards and rewards for great work and a variety of good training programs, including the Developer Degree program in partnership with Carleton University and York University.

Shopify also offers one of the highest-paid internships in Canada. The company has taken a “beyond Covid” approach to the pandemic, working on making sure that most employees will still be able to work remotely in future.

Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus already offers one of those dream workplace settings with a host of amenities that employees have access to. Then there are the generous vacation allowances; tuition subsidies that cover up to 100% of fees for courses, whether or not they’re related to an employee’s current position; extensive health coverage and generous family benefits, including on-site childcare.

In response to Covid-19, Simon Fraser University waived on-campus parking fees for essential employees and its fitness centre moved its classes online, offering free fitness, meditation and stretching classes and home workouts.

TD Bank recognizes employees’ efforts through various awards and rewards. Employees also particularly love the bank’s community programs and charitable giving, especially during the pandemic, and the many initiatives for skills development and tuition. Of course everybody loves good financial benefits and at TD Bank, employees receive generous discounts, low-interest home loans, access to share purchase plans and help with financial planning.

When the pandemic hit, TD Bank conducted a massive online survey to better understand how employees were affected. Employees who had to come in to work received an extra payment and extra personal days off while those who had to work from home got a $100 a month subsidy to set up their work spaces. All employees who faced new responsibilities in terms of child or elder care got extra paid leave too.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada – or TMMC – is another one of those companies where there’s almost nothing that employees don’t like. The company’s Cambridge, Ontario headquarters feature the Corolla Park Fitness Centre complete with outdoor sports fields and walking trails. Employees receive awards and rewards for good performance and the company offers a variety of training and skills development initiatives, including tuition coverage and opportunities to work in Japan and the United States.

Like most of the best companies to work for in Canada, TMMC gives employees paid time off to volunteer and matches their charitable donations. However, the company also offers seed money to employees who want to start their own charity initiatives. Of course, there are great financial benefits too, including discounts on some of the best cars in Canada.

Employees at the Université de Montréal get to work on a stunning historic campus packed with amenities. Some of the biggest strengths of working here include generous health plans and access to on-campus clinics, on-site childcare, summer day camps for employees’ children, generous vacation policies, tuition waivers for staff who want to study at the university, and reduced hours in summer: Montreal is, after all, one of the best cities in Canada during summer. The university now also has a special advisor to address and encourage equity and diversity among staff and students. Note that the Université de Montréal is a French-language institution.

Canada’s largest university is also one of the best places in the country to work. The University of Toronto is home to some gorgeous Toronto landmarks on its main campus and all three of the university’s campuses provide lots of amenities for employees, including lots of green spaces, food options and family-friendly spaces for parents with young children. Employees also particularly love the U of T’s initiatives to provide training and skills development, including tuition coverage. Even employees’ children may be able to study for free: definitely one of the best perks Canadian companies offer.

The U of T is a very family-friendly employer too, offering generous parental leave, babysitting, childcare reimbursements, flexible working hours and reduced summer hours. As part of its Covid-19 response, the U of T moved its fitness and meditation classes online.