Community roots that inspire growth: 'Atlantic Canada's Top Employers' for 2023 are announced

Atlantic Canada's Top Employers 2023 (CNW Group/Mediacorp Canada Inc.)

HALIFAX, NS, Jan. 17, 2023 /CNW/ - Deep community roots, inspiring natural spaces and a family-oriented way of life have long been draws of living on Canada's East Coast. The same advantages can be found at the heart of this year's Atlantic Canada's Top Employers, announced this morning by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers competition. 

"In a world where hybrid and remote work are growing, many employers recognize that they are competing with organizations across the country for top talent," says Kristina Leung, managing editor at Mediacorp. "This year's winners have positioned themselves for success by investing in the things that are most important to their people, such as flexible time off policies that enable folks to give back to their community or spend extra time with loved ones."

For many winners, flexible work arrangements are paired with extensive family-friendly benefits, echoing the family-oriented, more relaxed culture found across the region. Initiatives include paid leave for new parents, support programs for new parents preparing to return to work, and flexible health plans with coverage tailored to the needs of each employee and their family. 

"These initiatives mirror the culture of community and family that the East Coast is known for," adds Leung. "The winners continue to innovate while staying true to these values, giving them a unique edge over employers elsewhere".

Notable initiatives at this year's winners include: 

• East Coast Credit Union, based in Antigonish, N.S., recently introduced the #EastCoastCUCares Grant program, providing up to $100,000 annually for local initiatives that create a measurable social and/or environmental impact in the community.
  
  
• Bluedrop ISM in St. John's supports employees wanting to start new families, with generous maternity and parental leave top-up for new mothers, fathers and adoptive parents. Employees may also return to work gradually, with phased-in work options.
  
  
• St. John's-based Mysa offers unlimited time off for all employees, which includes personal and sick days, and encourages additional time off to recharge through a paid extended winter holiday closure as well as official recognition days off throughout the year.
  
  
• Saint John-based Irving Oil developed a formal flexible work program that provides eligible employees with the opportunity to develop hybrid work schedules adapted to their role, including flexible work hours, an ad-hoc flex work option (employees can work from home when needed), and a flexible work location program.
  
  
• St. John's-based Verafin maintains a results-focused work environment, allowing employees to work when and where they are most productive. The flexible approach also applies to paid sick leave, personal days and compassionate leave, with the company opting out of establishing set leave lengths.

Now in its 14^th year, Atlantic Canada's Top Employers is an annual competition organized by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers. This special designation recognizes the employers in Canada's four Atlantic provinces that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. The project is unique in that it extends across four provinces, recognizing that many employers in this region have operations across Atlantic Canada. This list replaces our previous Top Employers in the Maritimes and New Brunswick's Top Employers projects, which were published until 2006 and 2008, respectively. 

Founded in 1992, Mediacorp Canada Inc. is the nation's largest publisher of employment periodicals. Since 1999, the Toronto-based publisher has managed the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which includes 18 regional and special-interest editorial competitions that reach millions of Canadians annually through a variety of magazine and newspaper partners, including The Globe and Mail. Mediacorp also operates Eluta.ca, one of Canada's largest job search engines, which reaches over two million job-seekers annually and features exclusive editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. The company also publishes The Career Directory, now in its 30^th year – a free online guide for recent college and university graduates looking for employers hiring candidates from their educational background.

The full list of Atlantic Canada's Top Employers for 2023 was announced today. Detailed reasons for selection for each of this year's winners, as well as additional stories and photos were also released by the editors and are accessible via the competition homepage. 

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Stephanie Leung, Editor, [email protected]