Canada's top employers (2002)

Is your firm one of the best to work for? Are its HR practices the best? If so, you may find it in one of the two lists below. A list of the top 100 Canadian employers was recently published by author Richard Yerema. And a list of the top 50 best Canadian companies to work for was recently published by Report on Business magazine.

Canada's top 100 employers
In compiling the list of companies for his book, Canada's Top 100 Employers, author Richard Yerema narrowed a field of 42,000 down to 5,000 "growing" employers. He then invited them to provide detailed information about benefits, working conditions and HR programs. The companies below were culled to comprise the top 100 companies that stand out in terms of attracting and retaining quality employees.

Core Networks Inc., Halifax
Diagnostic Chemicals Limited, Charlottetown
Assumption Mutual Life Insurance, Moncton, NB
EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc., Vanier, PQ
Aeterna Laboratories Inc., Quebec
CGI Group Inc., Montréal
Elix, Montreal
AD OPT Technologies Inc., Montréal
Richter, Usher & Vineberg, Montréal
CMC Electronics Inc., St-Laurent
MEI, Montréal
Silanis Technology Inc., St-Laurent
Merck Frosst Canada & Co., Kirkland, PQ
Electropac Canada Inc., Pointe-Claire, PQ
IMS Health Canada Ltd., Pointe-Claire, PQ
Pratt & Whitney Canada Corporation, Longueuil, PQ
Adacel Inc., Brossard, PQ
Export Development Corporation, Ottawa
Exocom Group Inc., The, Ottawa
AiT Corporation, Ottawa
Intelcan Technosystems Inc., Ottawa
MDS Nordion, Ottawa
Semiconductor Insights Inc., Ottawa
Purdue Pharma, Pickering, Ont.
Amex Canada Inc., Markham, Ont.
InSystems Technologies, Inc., Markham, Ont.
Centrinity Inc., Markham, Ont.
Georgian College, Barrie, Ont.
Trillium Health Centre, Mississauga, Ont.
Mississauga, City of, Mississauga, Ont.
Patheon Inc., Mississauga, Ont.
Reynolds and Reynolds (Canada) Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.
Ingram Micro Inc. (Canada), Mississauga, Ont.
TDL Group Ltd., The, Oakville, Ont.
Zenon Environmental Inc., Oakville, Ont.
Wescam, Burlington, Ont.
Gennum Corporation, Burlington, Ont.
Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital, Burlington, Ont.
Hallmark Canada, Toronto
Mintz & Partners, LLP, Toronto
Manulife Financial Corporation, Toronto
Rogers Communications Inc., Toronto
Hill and Knowlton Canada, Toronto
Sitraka Inc., Toronto
Fidelity Investments Canada Limited, Toronto
Industrial Accident Prevention Association, Toronto
Cambridge Technology Partners Ltd., Toronto
National Life Assurance Company of Canada, Toronto
Daedalian eSolutions, Toronto
Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, Toronto
Ernst & Young LLP, Toronto
Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto
Kinko's Canada Limited, Toronto
Algorithmics Incorporated, Toronto
Scotiabank Group, Toronto
Brock Solutions Inc., Kitchener, Ont.
Inscriber Technology Corporation, Waterloo, Ont.
Waterloo, City of, Waterloo, Ont.
NCR Canada Ltd., Waterloo, Ont.
Research in Motion Limited (RIM), Waterloo, Ont.
Mitra Imaging Inc., Waterloo, Ont.
Sybase Inc. (Canada), Waterloo, Ont.
DALSA Corporation, Waterloo, Ont.
Automation Tooling Systems Inc., Cambridge, Ont.
Meridian Technologies Inc., Strathroy, Ont.
Online Business Systems, Winnipeg
Great-West Life Assurance Company, The, Winnipeg
Wardrop Engineering Inc., Winnipeg
Cangene Corporation, Winnipeg
Co-operators Life Insurance Company, The, Regina
Credit Union Electronic Transaction Services / CUETS, Regina
SaskTel, Regina
Yanke Group of Companies, Saskatoon
Co-operative Trust Company of Canada, Saskatoon
SED Systems, Saskatoon
Banff Centre, The, Banff, Alta.
WestJet Airlines Ltd., Calgary
Bethany Care Society, Calgary
Shell Canada Limited, Calgary
Husky Oil Operations Ltd., Calgary
Enbridge Inc., Calgary
Merak Projects Ltd., Calgary
Metso Automation (Canada) Ltd., Calgary
EPCOR Utilities Inc., Edmonton
Montage.DMC eBusiness Services, Edmonton
Net-Linx Americas, Inc., Edmonton
Intuit Canada Limited, Edmonton
PCL Constructors Inc., Edmonton
Syncrude Canada Ltd., Fort McMurray, Alta.
Spectrum Signal Processing Inc., Burnaby, BC
CreoScitex, Burnaby, BC
Telus Corporation, Burnaby, BC
Sierra Systems Group Inc., Vancouver
Burntsand Inc., Vancouver
MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates Ltd., Richmond, BC
Accpac Canada Inc., Richmond, BC
Sierra Wireless Inc., Richmond, BC
Richmond, City of, Richmond, BC
IVL Technologies Ltd., Victoria, BC
BHP Diamonds Inc., Yellowknife, NWT

Report on Business's 50 best companies to work for - in Canada
This is the ROB's third annual ranking of Canada's top employers. More than 1,000 invitations were sent to firms across Canada (with at least 300 employees). Questionnaires were filled out by employees at each company; these answers made up 70 per cent of the mark. Companies also completed a survey regarding their HR practices (for 25 per cent of the mark) and the CEO answered questions about his or her philosophy about the value of people (for five per cent of the mark). Hewitt Associates, the firm that assisted with the survey, received completed submissions from 161 companies and the following 50 were selected.

Flight Centre Ltd., Toronto
Intuit Canada Ltd., Edmonton
Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Ltd., Miss., Ont.
Surrey Metro Savings Credit Union, Surrey, B.C
Eli Lilly Canada, Inc., Toronto
BC Biomedical Laboratories Ltd., Surrey, B.C.
Microsoft Canada Co., Miss., Ont.
McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Ltd., Toronto
Wal-Mart Canada Corp., Miss., Ont.
Telus Corp., Burnaby, B.C.
The Maritime Life Assurance Co., Halifax
Delta Hotels Ltd., Toronto
Aventis Pharma Inc., Laval, Que.
JTI-Macdonald Corp., Toronto
Starwood Hotels and Resorts, (Canada) Toronto
Novartis Pharma Canada Inc., Dorval, Que.
Hudson’s Bay Co., Toronto, Ont.
Compaq Canada Corp., Richmond Hill, Ont.
Rothmans Benson & Hedges Inc., Toronto
Golder Associates Ltd., Vancouver
R.C. Purdy’s Chocolates Ltd., Vancouver
Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto
Chubb Insurance Co. of Canada, Toronto
S.C. Johnson & Son, Ltd., Brantford, Ont.
Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc., Toronto
BP Canada Energy Co., Calgary
Merck Frosst Canada Ltd., Kirkland, Que.
Nexen Inc., Calgary
EllisDon Corp., London, Ont.
Sierra Systems Group Inc., Vancouver
Federal Express Canada Ltd., Miss., Ont.
Amex Canada Inc., Markham, Ont.
Fluor Canada Ltd., Calgary
Procter & Gamble Inc., Toronto
QLT Inc., Vancouver
GlaxoSmithKline Inc., Miss., Ont.
PCL Constructors Inc., Edmonton
AstraZeneca Canada Inc., Miss., Ont.
General Motors of Canada Ltd., Oshawa, Ont.
PanCanadian Energy Corp., Calgary
Intria Items Inc., Miss., Ont.
Ceridian Canada Ltd., Winnipeg
Kellogg Canada Inc., Toronto
The Cumis Group Ltd., Burlington, Ont.
Marriott Hotels of Canada, Toronto
Chevron Canada Resources, Calgary
Ericsson Canada Inc., Mount-Royal, Que.
IMS Health, Canada, Pointe Claire, Que.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada Inc., St. Laurent, Que.
Deloitte & Touche LLP, Toronto