Accenture Inc., Toronto. Computer programming; 4,029 employees. Offers generous employee referral bonuses of up to $6,000.
Adobe Systems Canada Inc., Ottawa. Software publishers; 328 employees. Offers a share purchase plan for all employees.
Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC), Lacombe, Alta. Credit intermediation; 488 employees. Considers previous work experience when setting vacation entitlements for experienced candidates.
Agrium Inc., Calgary. Fertilizer manufacturing; 2,419 employees. Provides a nap room for employees who need a quick break during the day.
Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc., Edmonton. Pulp mills; 426 employees. Head office features a fitness facility with free membership.
AMEC Americas Ltd., Oakville, Ont. Engineering services; 6,700 employees. Operates the extensive AMEC Academy in-house training and development program.
Bank of Canada, Ottawa. Banking; 1,262 employees. Offers a defined benefit pension plan and retirement planning workshops.
Bank of Montreal, Toronto. Banking; 29,605 employees. Encourages ongoing employee development through subsidies for tuition and professional accreditation.
Bayer Inc., Toronto. Pharmaceutical manufacturing; 704 employees. Offers a flexible health benefits plan.
BC Public Service, Victoria. Government support; 25,042 employees. Provides new fathers and adoptive parents with parental leave top-up payments to 75 per cent for 35 weeks.
Bennett Jones LLP, Calgary. Lawyers; 802 employees. Offers flexible hours and shortened and compressed workweek options.
Bombardier Inc., Dorval, Que. Aircraft manufacturing; 17,222 employees. Offers maternity leave top-up payments to 90 per cent of salary for 17 weeks.
British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch, Vancouver. Second-largest distributor and retailer of beverage alcohol in Canada; 2,079 employees. Starts all employees with three weeks of paid vacation.
Business Development Bank of Canada, Montreal. Banking; 1,834 employees. Manages an academic scholarship program for children of employees for post-secondary education, up to $2,500 per child.
Cameco Corp., Saskatoon. Uranium mining; 2,859 employees. Provides compassionate leave top-up payments to 100 per cent of salary for eight weeks to employees who are caring for a loved one.
Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Ottawa. National security; 3,104 employees. Encourages fitness with organized sports teams and subsidized membership to an onsite fitness facility.
Capital District Health Authority, Halifax. Hospitals; 6,421 employees. Encourages employee development through mentoring, in-house apprenticeship and skilled trades opportunities.
Carswell, a division of Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd., Toronto. Book publishers: 919 employees. Offers year-end bonuses and a share purchase plan available to all employees.
Catholic Children's Aid Society of Toronto. Children and youth services; 582 employees. Offers employees the option to take unpaid full- and part-time educational leaves of absence.
Cementation Canada Inc., North Bay, Ont. Engineering construction; 980 employees. Offers highly skilled career opportunities in some of Canada's most remote regions and across North America.
Ceridian Canada Ltd., Winnipeg. Payroll services; 1,305 employees. Ensures employees' pets are covered through an innovative insurance subsidy.
Certified General Accountants Association of Canada, Burnaby, B.C. Professional organization; 148 employees. Gives employees the last Friday afternoon off each month from September to May.
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Toronto. Professional organization; 273 employees. Offers retirement planning assistance, phased-in work options, and contributions to a defined contribution pension plan.
Compass Group Canada, Mississauga, Ont. Food service contractors; 11,091 employees. A founding sponsor of the Aboriginal Hall of Fame.
Dalhousie University, Halifax. Colleges and universities; 3,278 employees. Situated on 79 acres of landscaped grounds within walking distance of downtown Halifax.
Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada, Richmond, B.C. Motorcycle dealer; 149 employees. Offers maternity and parental leave top-up payments to 70 per cent of salary for 52 weeks, and flexible scheduling when they return.
Desjardins Group / Mouvement des caisses Desjardins, Lévis, Que. Credit unions; 34,713 employees. Supports alternative transportation through a carpool sign-up system.
Diavik Diamond Mines Inc., Yellowknife, N.W.T. Mining; 628 employees. Recognized for its Aboriginal development program in partnership with SAIT Polytechnic.
Digital Extremes Ltd., London, Ont. Computer programming; 144 employees. Maintains the Fun Brigade, an employee social committee that organizes social events throughout the year.
EllisDon Corp., Mississauga, Ont. Building construction; 1,014 employees. Manages EllisDon University, an extensive in-house training program with courses in a range of subjects, from financial management to conflict resolution.
Enbridge Inc., Calgary. Natural gas distribution; 4,224 employees. Offers health benefit coverage that extends into retirement with no age limit.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Inc., Toronto. Hotels; 8,612 employees. Offers discounted rates at their hotels and resorts for employees, their families and friends.
General Motors of Canada Ltd., Oshawa, Ont. Motor vehicle manufacturing; 10,771 employees. Provides a cafeteria with healthy and special diet menus, as well as subsidized meals.
Georgian College, Barrie, Ont. Colleges and universities; 744 employees. Offers alternative work options, from telecommuting to reduced summer hours.
Goldcorp Inc., Vancouver. Gold mining; 2,133 employees. Offers paid time off to volunteer with local community organizations.
Golder Associates Ltd., Calgary. Engineering services; 2,586 employees. Awards generous financial bonuses to employees who complete professional accreditation or development courses.
Great Little Box Company Ltd., Richmond, B.C. Box manufacturing; 200 employees. Amenities include an outdoor sand volleyball court, library, outdoor gazebo and rooftop deck.
High Liner Foods Inc., Lunenburg, N.S. Food manufacturing; 535 employees. Offers phased-in work options that allow older employees to gradually leave the work force.
Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. Hospitals; 4,435 employees. Offers fertility drug coverage under its health benefits plan.
HP Advanced Solutions Inc., Victoria. Computer system design; 401 employees. Provides a cafeteria with healthy menus, an outdoor eating area and barbecue.
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Gatineau, Que. Government support; 24,768 employees. Offers maternity and parental leave top-up payments to 93 per cent of salary for 52 weeks.
ISM Canada, Regina. Computer programming; 499 employees. Encourages fitness with employee sports teams and free or discounted membership to local fitness facilities.
Johnson Corp., St. John's, Nfld. Insurance; 1,273 employees. Offers paid time off during the holiday season and personal days off in addition to paid vacation.
KPMG LLP, Toronto. Certified public accountants; 5,413 employees. Features an employee lounge with fireplace, video games and a pool table.
Kraft Foods Canada, Toronto. Food manufacturing; 1,435 employees. Offers signing bonuses for some employees, referral bonuses of up to $1,000, and year-end bonuses for all employees.
L'Oréal Canada Inc., Montreal. Toiletry product manufacturing; 1,200 employees. Offers early Friday closings in the winter and summer, letting employees start their weekends early.
Ledcor Group of Companies, Vancouver. Building construction; 5,100 employees. Offers an independently operated onsite daycare centre for new mothers to use when they return to work.
Loblaw Cos. Ltd., Brampton, Ont. Supermarkets; 30,472 employees. Manages a fully paid 18-month training program for recent graduates.
Magna Electric Corp., Saskatoon. Electrical contractors; 244 employees. Matches RRSP contributions of up to 5 per cent of salary.
Manitoba Hydro, Winnipeg. Hydroelectric power generation; 5,959 employees. Its six-storey glass atriums function as solar collectors and air exchangers, and a 24-metre waterfall moderates humidity in the building.
Manitoba Lotteries Corp., Winnipeg. Gambling; 1,315 employees. Appointed a sustainable-development co-ordinator to oversee all of its environmental initiatives.
Manulife Financial Corp., Toronto. Life insurance; 10,804 employees. Lets employees customize their health benefits plan to align with their needs and stages in life.
Mars Canada Inc., Bolton, Ont. Confectionery manufacturing; 454 employees. Encourages ongoing employee development with tuition subsidies for job-related courses and professional accreditation.
McGill University, Montreal. Colleges and universities; 5,779 employees. Offers subsidized membership to its athletics centre, which features instructor-led classes, swimming pool, skating arena and sports medicine clinic.
Medtronic of Canada Ltd., Brampton, Ont. Medical apparatus manufacturing; 474 employees. Provides in-house training options, including mentoring and job-shadowing programs.
Molson Coors Canada, Toronto. Breweries; 3,713 employees. Offers beer vouchers that enable employees to enjoy some of the fruits of their labours.
Mountain Equipment Co-op, Vancouver. Sporting goods stores; 629 employees. Offers a formal earned days off program.
National Energy Board, Calgary. Oil, gas and electric utility regulation; 338 employees. Provides a library with a large selection of French language novels.
NB Power Holding Corp., Fredericton, N.B. Hydroelectric power generation; 2,369 employees. Operates an onsite daycare facility.
Nexen Inc., Calgary. Petroleum and gas extraction; 1,951 employees. Invests in ongoing employee development through tuition subsidies to a maximum of $35,000.
Next Level Games Inc., Vancouver. Software publishers; 103 employees. Offers flexible hours, telecommuting and compressed and shortened workweek options.
Nuance Communications Canada Inc., Montreal. Software publishers; 452 employees. Helps employees save for retirement with contributions to a defined contribution pension plan.
Office of the Auditor General of Canada, Ottawa. Government support; 689 employees. Features a terrace on top of the first green roof installed on a federal government building in downtown Ottawa.