2026 Winners: Canada’s Top Employers for Young People

Aligning the future of work with future talent

It starts with listening to what the next gen wants and making those changes

With about 170 co‑ops and interns in 2025 – roughly 10 per cent of its workforce – Kinaxis Inc. is investing heavily in the next generation, treating its student program as a long-term investment in future talent.

Megan Paterson, chief operating officer at Kinaxis, says that strategy is by design. “This is a program we’re going to keep investing in for the long haul,” she says. “We’ve grown it and now we’re in a space where we’re really maturing it.”

The Kanata-based software company is just one example of how Canada’s Top Employers for Young People (2026) are systematically listening – gathering feedback through surveys, focus groups, and exit interviews – and adjusting to what young employees need to succeed.

“There’s a strong recognition that young people represent the future, and at this current juncture, investing in the next generation is an investment in the economy, and a strategic investment in productivity and innovation,” says Kristina Leung, managing editor at Mediacorp Canada Inc. which runs the competition.

Paterson would agree. She sees its co‑op and intern program as a big win‑win. By giving students “real work on real projects” – something Paterson says the students appreciate – the company discovers what they can actually do, creating a pipeline of proven, high-potential talent.

“We’ve had co‑op students who have moved on to be vice presidents of this company,” says Paterson. “That means when we’re hiring new grads, we’ve already seen what they’re capable of, what their values are, and it takes the risk right out of it.”

And what do young people want? One of the biggest shifts has been around in-person connection.

“We’ve learned they really care about feeling connected and having friends at work, so we’ve instituted a buddy program and campus orientation on day one so they meet all the other co‑ops and interns and have a support network on top of their work group,” says Paterson.

“A lot of learning is almost not on purpose – conversations while they’re getting coffee or in our cafeteria. Co‑ops also now have access to LinkedIn Learning and all training events, and are encouraged to move between departments so they can figure out what they might want to do when they graduate.”

Best of all is how the co-ops and interns, who are digital natives, bring “different perspectives and different ways of thinking,” says Paterson. “The program is such a vibrant, important part of our culture.”

Methodology

How this year’s winners were chosen

Since 2002, Canada’s Top Employers for Young People has endeavoured to recognize organizations nationwide offering the best programs and policies for young people starting out in their careers. Recognizing today’s unique challenges, many employers selected for this year’s competition have increased their investment in specialized training and certifications, easing the barrier of entry to many industries. Others have developed formalized training programs that strengthen soft and transferable skills while supporting early career exploration, equipping young people for success at their organization and beyond.

Organizations are evaluated by editors of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People based on programs they have to attract and retain younger workers. Key benefits include tuition assistance, the availability of co-op or work-study programs, mentorship and training programs. The editors also review each employer for career development initiatives that can assist young people in advancement and determining their career paths.

Any employer that has its head office or principal place of business in Canada may apply for this competition through the Canada’s Top 100 Employers application process. Organizations of any size may participate, whether private or public sector. Employers complete a single application for the national, regional, and special-interest competitions, including Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.

More detailed reasons for selection, explaining why each of the winners was chosen, are published on the competition’s website, Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.

2026 Winners

The following organizations have been chosen as Canada’s Top Employers for Young People for 2026 (employee count refers to full-time staff):

ABB Canada, Montréal. Engineering and technology services; 3,480 employees. Manages a Global Early Talent Program featuring two domestic and one international assignment for recent grads in finance and information systems.

AIG Insurance Company of Canada, Toronto. Direct property and casualty insurance carriers; 380 employees. Manages an early career analyst program that features a First 100 Days initiative to support graduates as they transition from school to work.

Air Canada, Montréal. Air transportation; 36,337 employees. Welcomed over 100 interns across various branches during the past year, providing students with work experience and practical skills.

Alberta Investment Management Corporation, Edmonton. Provincial crown corporation, investment management services; 689 employees. Offers student loan assistance for employees that graduated from a degree program directly related to their current or future role.

Amrize, Calgary. Concrete manufacturing; 6,102 employees. Offers an early-career leadership program that features mini projects, business case challenges, self-assessments, virtual coaching, and presentations to senior leaders.

ArcelorMittal Dofasco G.P., Hamilton. Iron and steel mills; 4,553 employees. Operates one of Ontario’s largest trade apprenticeship programs in partnership with Mohawk College, enabling participants to accumulate on-the-job hours and earn a certificate of qualification.

ATCO Ltd., Calgary. Energy, transportation and infrastructure development; 5,154 employees. Maintains a financial foundations seminar for summer students, covering topics such as financial planning, spending, saving, and borrowing.

AtkinsRéalis Canada Inc., Montréal. Engineering services; 7,466 employees. Maintains the Energizing Your Career program for young professionals, featuring career assessments, career tools and resources, and opportunities to connect with senior leaders.

Ausenco, Burnaby, B.C. Engineering services; 500 employees. Helps undergrad employees acclimate with an extensive set of onboarding activities, including setting expectations for the role, goal setting with managers and a buddy program.

BASF Canada Inc., Mississauga. Chemical manufacturing; 1,040 employees. The company’s internship program features in-person orientation, personal leadership skills development, goal-setting with managers and a capstone presentation to highlight personal and professional achievements.

BC Hydro, Vancouver. Hydroelectric power generation; 7,837 employees. Maintains a dedicated Trades Training Centre featuring classroom learning, lab spaces, and overhead and underground training yards.

BC Public Service, Victoria. Provincial governments; 38,895 employees. Maintains an engineer and geoscientist-in-training program, guided by a comprehensive training plan that includes rotations across multiple locations and roles.

BDO Canada LLP, Toronto. Accounting; 5,032 employees. Early career programs feature structured onboarding and orientation, including a welcome lunch, technical training, social activities, and guest speaker panels.

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Toronto. Law firms; 1,420 employees. Young lawyers benefit from the firm’s work allocation system, which facilitates an equitable distribution of work assignments and provides opportunities to gain a broad range of experiences.

BNP Paribas, Montréal. Banking; 1,616 employees. Maintains the “NextGen” mentoring program to help connect entry-level employees with experienced managers.

Boston Consulting Group Canada ULC, Toronto. Management consulting; 575 employees. Offers first- and second-year students from underrepresented groups the opportunity to explore life as an associate at the firm through its Bridge to Consulting workshop.

British Columbia Investment Management Corp. / BCI, Victoria. Portfolio management; 730 employees. Manages a strategy, risk and quantitative equity rotational program to enable past co-op students and interns to resume work with the firm, engaging in eight-month rotations across different branches.

Bruce Power LP, Tiverton, Ont. Nuclear power generation; 4,182 employees. Offers internships exclusively for Ontario Tech students who identify as women through the Women in Nuclear Engineering Internship Program.

Calgary, City of, Calgary. Municipal governments; 14,946 employees. Manages a rotational engineer-in-training program for new graduates featuring up to 72 months of training and technical coaching.

Capital One Canada, Toronto. Credit card issuing; 784 employees. Co-op program participants have the opportunity to present their term project to a panel of the company’s executives at the end of their term.

Celestica Inc., Toronto. Electronics manufacturing; 1,348 employees. Supports an intern social committee, responsible for organizing social, volunteer and networking events throughout the year.

CIBC, Toronto. Banking; 42,280 employees. Created the Spark program to accelerate career growth for top-performing students, with opportunities to participate in hackathons, innovation challenges, and network with senior leaders.

Citi Canada, Mississauga. Banking; 3,159 employees. Provides tailored mentorship opportunities, pairing participants with multiple mentors and peers who share common goals to discuss aspirations, set objectives, and track progress.

CoLab Software Inc., St. John’s. Software; 107 employees. Pairs interns with an onboarding buddy to provide support during the first weeks of employment.

Colliers Canada, Toronto. Commercial real estate services; 2,856 employees. Internship program features a collaborative innovation challenge, with teams of interns working together to solve a business challenge and present solutions to a panel of senior leaders.

Coveo Solutions Inc., Montréal. Software developers; 568 employees. Invites students to participate in Coveo Blitz, an in-house hackathon where teams are tasked with creating a virtual AI-powered bot in 10 hours, with mentorship from a senior employee.

CRH Canada Group Inc., Vaughan, Ont. Concrete manufacturing; 2,669 employees. Manages a 12-week internship in its ready-mix concrete division, which includes technical services training, job shadowing, job site visits, and support for those pursuing ACI concrete testing certification.

CSL Group Inc., Montréal. Marine shipping and transportation; 964 employees. Created a leadership development program for young people consisting of six months of learning, coaching, leadership simulations, business challenges, and an opportunity to discuss future development with the executive committee.

D2L Corporation, Kitchener, Ont. Software publishers; 866 employees. Wraps the end of the term with Share Back presentations, providing students with an opportunity to reflect on the impact of their work and showcase their efforts to senior leaders, including the CEO.

Dentons Canada LLP, Calgary. Law firms; 1,391 employees. Introduced a Student Playbook to help young talent identify competencies needed for career progression.

Department of Finance Canada, Ottawa. Federal government, general economic programs; 910 employees. Offers a procurement and contracting officer development program targeted towards junior-level employees, featuring on-the-job training, work assignments, classroom study and mentorship.

Desjardins Group / Mouvement Desjardins, Lévis, Que. Financial institutions; 50,908 employees. Offers a wide range of IT internship opportunities, including roles in project management, data management and engineering, cybersecurity and business intelligence, to name a few.

DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver. Law firms; 598 employees. Provides articled students with opportunities to engage in secondments with one of the organization’s financial clients.

Ecclesiastical Insurance Office plc, Toronto. Property and casualty insurance; 108 employees. Created a rotational program for recent grads interested in commercial specialty insurance, featuring rotational assignments, mentorship from senior management, and a unique placement with a non-profit or charitable organization.

EPCOR Utilities Inc., Edmonton. Electric power distribution and water treatment services; 3,022 employees. Supports apprentices working towards their journeyman tickets by coordinating post-secondary education, providing field training, and offering practical training guides.

Export Development Canada, Ottawa. International trade financing and support services; 2,084 employees. Welcomed 165 students into paid internships and co-op programs across 60 business areas in the past year, including roles in risk management, technology, and legal services.

EY, Toronto. Accounting; 9,000 employees. Prepares new hires for a successful start with a robust onboarding program that begins as soon as the job offer is accepted, with a pre-boarding survey to gather insights on how to improve the integration experience.

Fednav Limited, Montréal. Deep sea freight transportation; 142 employees. Manages a comprehensive shipping trainee program that blends on-the-job training with theoretical education and includes a week-long visit to one of the organization’s international offices and time aboard a ship in the Great Lakes.

Fidelity Canada, Toronto. Portfolio management; 2,336 employees. Expanded its mentorship offerings to include Gen Z and student mentorship, connecting Gen Z employees with co-op students and interns to enhance relationship building.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard, Ottawa. Federal government, administration of conservation programs; 14,853 employees. Supports a dedicated pan-regional Your Professional Network to provide employees with opportunities for professional development, networking, and learning.

Flipp Operations Inc., Toronto. Advertising agencies; 443 employees. Created a four-month program roadmap to help students navigate their time with the organization, including info on onboarding, learning, networking and career development.

Genetec Inc., Montréal. Custom computer programming services; 1,399 employees. Hosts TechTalks to encourage employees and teams to share projects they are working on as well as TechTalk+, a monthly series with industry experts and innovators.

GHD Ltd., Waterloo, Ont. Engineering services; 2,051 employees. Maintains a global mobility program, offering early-career professionals the opportunity to participate in global and domestic mobility assignments to broaden their skill sets and professional networks.

Gibson Energy Inc., Calgary. Oil and gas distribution; 454 employees. Supports the engineers of tomorrow through a robust engineer-in-training program, comprised of technical training, mentorship, a 12-month assignment at a field location, and placements in the organization’s functional areas.

Groupe Dynamite Inc., Montréal. Retail; 1,405 employees. Maintains a 12-week Next Gen internship program that offers participants the opportunity to engage in weekly projects tailored to departmental rotations.

Halifax Regional Municipality, Halifax. Municipal governments; 3,819 employees. Maintains an 18-month internship called Bridging the Gap to provide recent grads with opportunities to learn about government policy, administration, operations, and services and planning.

Hatch Ltd., Mississauga. Engineering services; 4,853 employees. Organizes Management Mingle social events to pair senior leaders with groups of young professionals and “Lunch with the Board,” offering new grads opportunities to connect directly with board members.

HDR, Inc., Toronto. Architectural services; 514 employees. Offers resources for long-term career planning, including a dedicated career guide, access to a Career Connect program to help participants build leadership skills, and “Next Step Conversations.”

Health Canada / Santé Canada, Ottawa. Federal government, administration of public health programs; 10,046 employees. Enables employees to attend meetings with their managers that relate to their interests and career goals through the “Take Me With You” initiative.

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan / HOOPP, Toronto. Pension plans; 1,111 employees. Supports a Student Leadership Council, a student committee dedicated to organizing social events and fostering connection through the work term.

High Liner Foods Inc., Heckmans Island, N.S. Seafood processing; 530 employees. Created the Casting Nets to the Future program to provide students with biweekly workshops on a variety of topics, including resume preparation, interview techniques, and showcasing achievements.

Hitachi Rail, Toronto. Specialized IT services; 1,061 employees. Hosts an end-of-term intern showcase event to celebrate intern contributions and enable them to highlight their achievements to senior leaders.

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto. Hospitals; 683 employees. Provides dedicated co-op placements to students who are current or former clients of the organization that require an accessible workplace.

Hospital for Sick Children, The, Toronto. Hospitals; 6,955 employees. Offers coaching to help research fellows prepare for jobs in academia, as well as seminars on negotiating job offers and a $10,000 seed grant to support the development of independent research projects.

Hydro Ottawa, Ottawa. Electric power distribution; 745 employees. Provides journeyperson apprentices with nationwide certification and covers preparation and certification fees.

Irving Oil, Saint John. Petroleum refining, distribution and retail; 3,051 employees. Hosts quarterly development days featuring learning sessions, networking opportunities with senior leadership and operational insights into various areas around the business.

Keyera Corp., Calgary. Crude petroleum and natural gas extraction; 1,182 employees. Offers a range of professional development opportunities, including student and new graduate workshops on topics including resume building, providing constructive feedback and self-awareness.

Kinaxis Inc., Ottawa. Software developers; 727 employees. Hosted its tenth annual week-long hackathon to encourage teams of employees to explore a company-related project of interest, with a focus on artificial intelligence this past year.

Klick Health, Toronto. Digital marketing; 915 employees. Actively seeks feedback from employees with less than three years of full-time work experience in order to better support career growth.

Labatt Breweries of Canada, Toronto. Breweries; 3,374 employees. Offers several comprehensive entry-level training programs including the brewery training program, technology trainee program, and supply chain trainee program.

LEA Consulting Ltd., Markham, Ont. Engineering services; 176 employees. Launched a pilot leadership development program to help young professionals fast-track career growth through job shadowing, leadership training, and mentorship.

Loblaw Companies Ltd., Brampton, Ont. Supermarkets and grocery stores; 29,652 employees. Hosts a Networking Department Fair to enable students to network with members of the talent acquisition team in order to be considered for new graduate roles.

L’Oréal Canada Inc., Montréal. Cosmetics manufacturing; 1,585 employees. Hosts the Brandstorm innovation competition, inviting participants to collaborate on an idea based on an annual theme, with finalists flown to Paris to pitch ideas to executives.

Manitoba Hydro, Winnipeg. Hydroelectric power generation; 5,188 employees. Supports apprentices with full wages and benefits while they attend college, as well as coverage for the costs of books and tuition.

Manulife Financial Corporation, Toronto. Direct life insurance carriers; 12,221 employees. Publishes a biweekly newsletter for students, highlighting company updates, events, and notable achievements from co-ops and interns throughout their term.

Maple Leaf Foods Inc., Mississauga. Food processing; 12,984 employees. Offers a four-month reverse mentorship program for co-op students, enabling them to mentor full-time employees on a biweekly basis.

McMillan LLP, Toronto. Law firms; 760 employees. Organizes dedicated social events for summer students and articling students, such as group cooking classes, escape room activities, bowling, and community involvement initiatives.

Metrolinx, Toronto. Public transit; 6,489 employees. Offers rotational programs for new finance and IT graduates comprised of three eight-month rotations, with a diverse range of experiences to enhance professional development.

Michelin North America (Canada) Inc., New Glasgow, N.S. Tire manufacturing; 4,534 employees. Manages a Technical Scholars Program to provide students enrolled in eligible programs with tuition support, technical training, full-time employment during the summer and part-time employment during the school year.

Mott MacDonald Canada Limited, Vancouver. Engineering services; 407 employees. Manages a Teachable Moments program, inviting young professionals to create short presentations for their colleagues on a topic of interest.

National Research Council of Canada / NRC, Ottawa. Federal government, science, engineering and technology research programs; 4,700 employees. Offers a 16-week student employment program with positions in research and development, library sciences, communications, and marketing, to name a few.

Nestlé Canada Inc., Toronto. Food manufacturing; 2,378 employees. Created the Intern Incubator initiative to enable summer interns to work alongside fellow interns to solve a business case and present ideas to senior leaders.

Nuclear Promise X Inc., Kincardine, Ont. Nuclear engineering consulting services; 87 employees. Participants of the organization’s new grad program complete a “rotation roadmap” to outline short- and long-term goals, rotation interest, and project details as they progress.

Nunavut, Government of, Iqaluit. Territorial governments; 3,572 employees. Manages the Amaaqtaarniq Education Program to help remove barriers to post-secondary education for eligible Inuit employees.

OpenText Corporation, Waterloo, Ont. Software publishers; 2,690 employees. Introduced the “Innovate & Caffeinate: Tech Showcase” to allow interns to learn about different technologies and teams at the organization.

PCL Construction, Edmonton. Industrial, commercial and institutional buildings construction; 3,115 employees. Manages the PCL Student Program that features ongoing support and feedback from immediate supervisors as well as an assigned work “buddy.”

PepsiCo Canada, Mississauga. Soft drink and food manufacturing; 15,171 employees. Manages the Emerging Leader Development Program that is designed to help new grads transtion from school to the workplace by exposing them to multiple areas fo the business.

Perkins&Will Canada Architects Co., Vancouver. Architectural services; 236 employees. Supports interns on the journey to become an architect with guidance from leaders, participation in design reviews, in-house educational sessions, mentoring opportunities and financial support.

Pomerleau Inc., Montréal. Construction services; 3,610 employees. Recognizes its top-performing interns at the annual Excellence Gala in Montréal with winners receiving a $2,000 scholarship along with public recognition and a trophy.

Procter & Gamble Inc., Toronto. Consumer products manufacturing; 1,792 employees. Connects with the next generation through a robust campus recruitment program that includes attendances at career fairs, virtual campus information sessions, social media competitions and more.

Providence Health Care, Vancouver. Hospitals; 5,684 employees. Reaches out to its future health care assistants through a paid entry-level training program that provides wages, tuition (and books) coverage as part of an accelerated nine to 12 month training program.

PSB BOISJOLI LLP, Montréal. Accounting; 275 employees. Offers a university summer employment program that lets students gain a variety of experiences with structured rotations through audit, tax or business advisory departments.

Redbrick Technologies Inc., Victoria. Software; 155 employees. Supports co-operative education and ensures co-op students stay connected, from a day one lunch and co-op roundtables, to quarterly virtual trivia events to bring together onsite and remote co-op students.

Rio Tinto, Montréal. Mining; 11,531 employees. Offers a one-year coaching program for new graduates and a buddy program for all new young hires to help them adjust and settle into their new roles.

Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto. Banking; 69,126 employees. Supports the longstanding NexGen employee resource group for young professionals, with over 7,500 members across the bank.

SAP Canada Inc., Vancouver. Custom computer programming services; 3,104 employees. Supports the unique Canada Intern Committee that works to plan and organize events (over 80 last year), online challenges and a monthly newsletter for interns across the company.

SaskPower, Regina. Electric power generation; 3,471 employees. Introduced a high school summer student employment program that offers opportunities for student hires from across the province to work alongside power line technicians.

SaskTel, Regina. Telecommunications; 2,946 employees. Recently launched the Lead, Inspire, Network and Knowledge Sharing (LINKS) program to enable participants to find mentor matches to learn more about future career possibilities.

Schneider Electric Canada Inc., Mississauga. Industrial automation and controls; 2,225 employees. Manages the unique DPAC Field Experience Academy that offers employees opportunities to gain exposure to field work through the 3E’s (education, exposure and experience) learning model.

Scotiabank, Toronto. Banking; 41,943 employees. Hired over 900 students for internships and co-op roles across the bank and over 100 new graduates through the Talent Incubators for Leaders of Tomorrow program last year.

Siemens Canada Limited, Oakville, Ont. Engineering services; 2,398 employees. Manages the Growth and Opportunity (GO) Program that offers employees unique development resources, networking opportunities, mentoring, leadership development and other training activities.

Sophos Inc., Vancouver. Custom computer programming services; 455 employees. Recently introduced a formal mentorship program that brings together new employees with experienced leaders at the company for six months mentorships.

Stanley Black & Decker Canada Corp., Mississauga. Tool and hardware manufacturing; 561 employees. Manages an internship program for students in the fields of finance, customer service and product distribution that begins with a month-long onboarding process and pairing with a “buddy” for support.

Thales Canada Inc., Ottawa. Aerospace systems; 1,368 employees. Manages a unique talent development program that promotes global career paths for high-potential employees in the first three to five years of working with the company.

UFA Co-operative Limited, Calgary. Farm supplies merchant wholesalers; 886 employees. Manages a Finance New Grad Rotation Program that is designed for recent graduates pursuing their CPA and CFA designations, providing opportunities to gain experience across different financial roles.

Unilever Canada, Inc., Toronto. Consumer product manufacturing and distribution; 901 employees. Provides a range of internship opportunities across its diverse operations, including finance, customer business development, marketing, supply chain and human resources.

Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver. Hospitals; 15,790 employees. Supports the in-house talent development and career pathways team, who provides personalized career coaching for younger employees as they advance in their careers.

VCA Canada Ltd., Calgary. Veterinary hospitals; 2,895 employees. Offers a student loan repayment program that matches a portion of their student loan repayments and deposits the funds directly to their RRSP, up to five per cent of their annual salary.

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd., Vancouver. Sawmills; 5,224 employees. Recruits engineering co-op students for work placements ranging from four months to one year in duration, and recruits local and post-secondary forestry students for summer positions.

York Regional Police, Aurora, Ont. Police services; 2,540 employees. Offers internal mentoring programs for civilian and uniformed employees, pairing younger employees with experienced personnel (including retired officers) at the beginning of their careers.

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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.