Nearly half of Canada's top employers for 2026 are in Ontario

Ontario is dominating the rankings of the country's top companies, with nearly half of the top-ranked employers based in the province. 

Forbes' 2026 Best Canadian Employers, released on Monday, was compiled based on anonymous surveys of over 37,000 Canadians employed at companies with more than 500 staff members. 

Participants were asked whether they would recommend their employer to others, and to rate their workplace based on compensation packages, work flexibility, training opportunities and other factors. 

The responses were tallied and combined with survey data from the past three years, which Forbes states helped show which companies consistently performed well, as opposed to just having "one good year."

Of the top 100 Canadian employers, 47 are headquartered in Ontario. The top ten companies span a wide range of industries such as education, government services, utilities and healthcare. Ottawa-based business law firm McMillan was the highest-ranking Ontario business on the list, landing in second place.

Other local winners include Toronto Metropolitan University, which ranked 14th overall, and tech giant Shopify, which came in 26th. Last year, the Ottawa-based megacorp ranked 14th on Forbes' list of top companies in the world.

Amid all the tech, finance, and institutional employers, the Windsor-based Canadian arm of U.S.-based pizza chain Domino's was a surprising inclusion, landing in the top 40. 

Home Hardware, the St. Jacobs, Ont.-based home improvement retail chain with around 1,100 stores across Canada, was another locally-owned business to make the top 50.

Here's a look at some of the best employers in Ontario for 2026, including each company's overall ranking and base of operations:

2. McMillan - Ottawa
6. Canadian Institute for Health Information - Ottawa
8. Bank of Canada - Ottawa
9. Canadian Blood Services - Ottawa
10. CSA Group - Toronto
13. City of London - London
14. Toronto Metropolitan University - Toronto
15. OpenText - Waterloo
19. National Research Council Canada - Ottawa
23. Raymond James Financial - Toronto
24. The Co-operators - Guelph
26. Shopify - Ottawa
27. George Brown College - Toronto
28. Statistics Canada - Ottawa
29. Info-Tech Research Group - London

You can view the full list here.