HR News Canada

by Todd Humber

Top Stories

Arbitrator strikes down TTC’s random drug and alcohol testing program

An arbitrator has ruled that the Toronto Transit Commission’s random drug and alcohol testing program violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and is not a reasonable exercise of management rights under the collective …

Narcissistic leaders resist remote work to protect their power, study finds
Stop fighting your workers’ resistance to change, HR leaders told
Ford, Unifor ratify three-year deal with $1.25 billion in investment

Federal, provincial labour ministers pledge $2 billion for skills training at Halifax meeting

Latest News

Unifor reaches tentative deal with Coast Mountain Bus Company
Canadians oppose making it harder to strike, finds poll commissioned by labour group
Unifor names General Motors as next U.S. automaker for contract talks
U.S. hits Canada with steep tariffs on range of products, including hockey sticks
What my first job taught me about psychological health and safety
Menzies Aviation standardizes scheduling for 65,000 workers with UKG
Burnout isn’t new — 18th‑century farm records show workers describing the same exhaustion
Mental health programs alone won’t fix psychological injury among public safety workers
Workers around the world remain optimistic about jobs despite economic worries: Survey
Correctional officers protest planned CSC budget cuts
Unifor turns attention to Stellantis, General Motors after Ford members ratify deal

The ‘that’s not fair’ conversation every leader dreads (and how to get it right)

The Agreement | Labour Law

PREMIUM Nursing home ordered to provide dental coverage with no annual cap

PREMIUM Toronto Transit Commission ordered to reinstate operator fired after drug test
PREMIUM Arbitrator awards Mississauga, Ont., retirement home workers wage hikes, benefit boosts
PREMIUM Arbitrator splits job evaluation ruling for York Region team lead
PREMIUM CPKC ordered to restore worker’s benefits until end of 2026

Collective Agreements

PREMIUM United Steelworkers Local 1-1937 and Pacific Energy Fireplace Products finalize three-year collective agreement covering production workers

Annual inflation rate eased to 2.8% in June: Statistics Canada
SHRM report links strategic training to better business results
Ontario construction wages climb while B.C. rates hold steady: StatsCan
Saskatchewan sawmill curtailing operations, 117 employees affected
Corus to centralize Calgary, Edmonton productions of Global News, 43 jobs cut
Canada’s concessions have meant little to Trump administration: U.S. trade czar
Ottawa boosts skilled trades funding with $2 billion for provinces over five...
Home Hardware takes top spot among Canadian retailers for workplace culture: Forbes
WestJet flight attendants approve strike mandate as ground pay takes centre stage
Halton Hills eyeing new whistleblower program to target waste, fraud, wrongdoing
In Partnership with Queen's University IRC

Labour Relations

Arbitrator strikes down TTC’s random drug and alcohol testing program

Unifor reaches tentative deal with Coast Mountain Bus Company

Canadians oppose making it harder to strike, finds poll commissioned by labour group

Unifor names General Motors as next U.S. automaker for contract talks

Correctional officers protest planned CSC budget cuts

Unifor turns attention to Stellantis, General Motors after Ford members ratify deal

Ford, Unifor ratify three-year deal with $1.25 billion in investment
WestJet flight attendants approve strike mandate as ground pay takes centre stage
Pilots at Flair Airlines ratify three-year contract
Air Canada reaches tentative contract deal with 11,000 IAMAW employees
Unifor to begin ratification meetings Friday for tentative deal with Ford

Opinion

What my first job taught me about psychological health and safety

Burnout isn’t new — 18th‑century farm records show workers describing the same exhaustion

Mental health programs alone won’t fix psychological injury among public safety workers

The ‘that’s not fair’ conversation every leader dreads (and how to get it right)

Stop the snub: Employees hold the power over workplace incivility
The ‘that’s not fair’ conversation every leader dreads (and how to get it right)
Stop the snub: Employees hold the power over workplace incivility
Experiential and ‘work‑integrated’ learning aren’t the same — and it matters for higher education
When a worker’s stalker becomes the employer’s problem

Global HR News

Explosion in Indian hydropower project tunnel leaves 11 dead and 14 missing
SHRM report links strategic training to better business results
Trump’s Labor nominee touts experience and fraud prevention as he seeks confirmation
Brazil calls Trump’s 25% tariff unjustifiable, vows to impose reciprocal tariffs
No radiation leak after ‘contamination’ events at Africa’s only nuclear plant, regulator says

Trades wages jump 18% as overall pay trails inflation...

More health workers strike as Ebola cases in Congo exceed 2,000,...

House passes bill to ‘ditch the switch’ and make...

Benefits Fraud

The ripple effect: Benefits fraud impacts premiums, coverage and healthcare 

The anatomy of benefits fraud: Common schemes and how they’re stopped 

Building a fraud-resistant workplace: What employers need to know 

The hidden cost of benefits fraud: How AI and data science are fighting back

Employment Law

Arbitrator strikes down TTC’s random drug and alcohol testing program

Ontario ombudsman clears Township of Scugog’s off-site CAO hiring meeting

26 Meta employees sue in US, alleging AI-driven layoff picks hit workers on medical and parental leave
B.C. Mountie loses court appeal after coercive sexual relationship with jail guard
When a worker’s stalker becomes the employer’s problem
Nova Scotia board dismisses call centre’s bid to avoid mass layoff notice payments

Mental Health

What my first job taught me about psychological health and safety

Burnout isn’t new — 18th‑century farm records show workers describing the same exhaustion

Mental health programs alone won’t fix psychological injury among public safety workers
PREMIUM Ontario ordered to pay three guards on PTSD leave $12.5K each for posting their photos at jail entrances
Ontario coroner calls for broader mental health coverage after 34 corrections suicides
HR shapes whether workers struggling with mental health seek help or stay silent: Sorenson

Total Rewards

PREMIUM Nursing home ordered to provide dental coverage with no annual cap

PREMIUM CPKC ordered to restore worker’s benefits until end of 2026

Annual inflation rate eased to 2.8% in June: Statistics Canada
Ontario construction wages climb while B.C. rates hold steady: StatsCan
PREMIUM Arbitrator resolves four implementation disputes in CPKC-Teamsters pension deal
Trades wages jump 18% as overall pay trails inflation in U.S., Payscale finds

Artificial Intelligence

Paylocity launches AI agents across HR, payroll and recruiting platform

26 Meta employees sue in US, alleging AI-driven layoff picks hit workers on medical and parental leave

Talogy partners with Symulate to build AI-powered talent simulations
Venture for Canada pitches students as AI guides for small businesses
AI can help expose pay gaps but humans must decide compensation
AI notetakers promise easy meeting recaps, but some professionals question their use

Recruitment

Paylocity launches AI agents across HR, payroll and recruiting platform

Ontario ombudsman clears Township of Scugog’s off-site CAO hiring meeting

Most workers have encountered co-workers who misrepresented skills or identity: Survey
Employers take 68 days to hire while top candidates disappear in just 10: Labrie
Relationship-driven recruitment strategy lands Abbotsford, B.C., 26 new family doctors
Applications for federal public service jobs drop by almost 30 per cent

Retention

Afni improves retention using UKG workforce platform globally

U.K.’s overworked staff eye the exit, HiBob survey finds

Nearly a quarter of Canadian workers plan to change jobs
Four in 10 Canadian professionals plan job search: Robert Half
Nova Scotia opens applications for healthcare worker recruitment grants
How to know if it’s time to quit your first job

Remote & Hybrid Work

Union to stage Ottawa street action over crowded federal office spaces

Office market sees first full-year of recovery since pandemic disruption: CBRE

Commuting costs, cramped offices drive resistance to return-to-office mandates
Ontario’s WSIB must restore flex work before office return, arbitrator rules
Return to office, hybrid work can trigger migraines – advocates warn
Hybrid work is not always the golden compromise employees expect – even as more companies implement it

People on the Move

Lotto.com names Amanda Coyle vice-president of human resources

Corel names Tracy Porter-Stevens as vice-president of people

Employment Hero names Chris Pinkerton as Canadian managing director
UKG hires Oracle executive Rod Johnson as chief revenue officer
Red Dot names Doug Bobay vice-president of global human resources
Husky Technologies names Karen Stone as chief human resources officer

Industry News

Paylocity launches AI agents across HR, payroll and recruiting platform

Menzies Aviation standardizes scheduling for 65,000 workers with UKG

Talogy partners with Symulate to build AI-powered talent simulations
Afni improves retention using UKG workforce platform globally
Dayforce adds WorkWhile to contingent staffing network
Staffing industry pioneer Bill Pollock dies at 97

Top Employers

Home Hardware takes top spot among Canadian retailers for workplace culture: Forbes

CAE named to TIME’s Canada’s Best Companies 2026 list

RONA named one of Canada’s Best Workplaces in Retail and Hospitality
Viatris Canada earns spot on Best Workplaces list for 2026
AGT Products earns Great Place To Work certification
Constant Contact earns Great Place To Work certification

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Entrepreneurs on the Rise program moves under Open Door Group in B.C.

Quebec pension plans must blend mortality rates for non-binary members

Are algorithms unfairly screening out immigrant job applications?
The Muslim wage gap in Canada’s largest metro area costs workers an estimated $1.2 billion a year
How LGBTQ employees at Kodak risked their careers to build a safer, inclusive workplace
One in five reporting employers owe women wage increases: Canada’s Pay Equity Commissioner
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