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A new report has just named Southwestern Ontario's top employers for 2026, offering a look at some of the companies and organizations powering the region's rapid growth. Now in its third year, the list is compiled annually by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers competition. It recognizes top employers in the region between Lake Huron, Georgian Bay, and Lake Erie (minus the GTA and Niagara). "Southwestern Ontario has resilience baked into its DNA," says Richard Yerema, executive editor at Mediacorp. "The challenges faced by the auto sector in the early 2000s helped catalyze a shift toward advanced manufacturing and a more diversified economy — one that continues to evolve today." The region's population, the report notes, is expected to increase by over 30 percent over the next few decades, and in preparation, local governments are "investing heavily to strengthen the region's industrial base." While growth is strongest in cities like Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph, smaller communities, including Cambridge and Collingwood, are also expanding as employers open head offices within reach of the GTA. "Canada's first commercial-scale EV battery facility began production in Windsor last year, with another major plant set to begin operations in St. Thomas in 2027. Together, these projects are expected to create approximately 5,500 direct jobs, with thousands more generated across the supply chain," the report reads. The list also mentions the ongoing refurbishment and expansion of the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, which is expected to generate over $200 billion in economic activity and support 22,000 jobs every year. The region's top employers were evaluated on eight criteria: workplace, work atmosphere, social, health, financial, and family benefits, vacation and time off, employee communications, performance management, training and skills development, as well as community involvement. The annual competition is open to any public or private sector employer with its head office located in Southwestern Ontario. Here are the region's top employers for 2026, according to the list: Arctic Wolf Networks Canada Inc. (cybersecurity software) ATS Corporation (automation technology) Bruce Power LP (nuclear power generation) Bruce, Corporation of the County of (municipal government) C.F. Crozier & Associates Inc./CFCA (engineering consulting services) Cambridge Memorial Hospital (CMH) Cambridge, Corporation of the City of Co-operators Group Limited, The (insurance) D2L Corporation (software publishers) Denso Manufacturing Canada Inc. (automotive parts and technology) Digital Extremes Ltd. (software publishers) Enova Power Corp. (electric power distribution) Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada, The (insurance and financial services) Erie Shores HealthCare (healthcare services) Erin, Town of eSentire Inc. (cybersecurity) Farm Mutual Reinsurance Plan Inc. (insurance and financial services) FIO Automotive Canada Corporation (automotive parts manufacturing) GHD Ltd. (engineering services) Glen Dimplex Americas Limited (electric heating manufacturing) Gore Mutual Insurance Company (direct property and casualty insurance carriers) GreenShield (dental and health benefits insurance) Guelph, Corporation of the City of (municipal governments) Homewood Health (mental health and addiction care services and programs) Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (hospitals) InvestorCOM Inc. (computer software) LBMX Inc. (computer software) London Hydro Inc. (electric power distribution) MAC LLP (accounting) Miovision Technologies Inc. (computer software and consulting services) Norfolk General Hospital North America Construction (1993) Ltd. / NAC Constructors Ltd. (industrial construction) Northern Digital Inc. / NDI (advanced spatial measurement systems) OCAS Application Services, Inc. (administrative services) onsemi (semiconductor and related device manufacturing) OpenText Corporation (software publishers) Skyline Group of Companies (real estate) Sleeman Breweries Ltd. (breweries) StarTech.com Ltd. (computer hardware manufacturing) SV Law (law firms) System1 Canada ULC (information technology consulting) Tatham Engineering Limited (engineering services) Tim Horton Children's Foundation Inc. (charitable organizations) Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. / TMMC (automobile manufacturing) WalterFedy (architectural and engineering services) Ward & Uptigrove (accounting) Waste Management of Canada Corporation (waste management services) Waterloo Regional Police Service West Haldimand General Hospital Western University You can view the full report here .
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