BC’s Top Employers: 2023 Winners

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The following organizations have been chosen as BC’s Top Employers for 2023 (employee count refers to full-time staff):

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Alida Inc., Vancouver. Customer intelligence software; 290 employees. Offers paid family leave to help employees balance work and their personal commitments, up to five days off each year.

Aquatic Informatics ULC, Vancouver. Computer software; 87 employees. Revised its time-off policies to include three floating holidays that can be used to celebrate personal or cultural traditions and holidays.

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Arrow Transportation Systems Inc., Vancouver. Transportation, shipping and logistics; 1,060 employees. Launched a new mental health benefit to provide coverage for marriage and family therapists, clinical counsellors, psychotherapists, and social workers.

Ausenco Engineering Canada Inc., Burnaby. Engineering services; 530 employees. Implemented a new parental leave program in 2022, offering top-up of 100 per cent of salary for 12 weeks for primary caregivers.

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BC Assessment, Victoria. Property tax assessments; 683 employees. Invests in ongoing employee education with generous tuition subsidies for courses taken externally, to $7,500 per year.

BC Centre for Ability, Vancouver. Individual and family services; 94 employees. Created coaching and professional development plans to help employees manage career goals and progression.

BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Vancouver. Social advocacy organizations; 103 employees. Provides subsidized access to onsite child care at its head office.

BC Financial Services Authority / BCFSA, Vancouver. Provincial government, financial regulation; 330 employees. Maintains a generous top-up program for new parents, ranging from 35 weeks to a full year of paid leave.

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BC Housing Management Commission, Burnaby. Administration of housing programs; 952 employees. Offers substantial training on a variety of diversity topics, including respect in the workplace, unconscious bias, and anti-racism.

BC Hydro, Vancouver. Hydroelectric power generation; 6,533 employees. Maintains the Power Pioneers group to keep retirees connected through social events and volunteer activities.

BC Pension Corp., Victoria. Pension funds; 641 employees. Offers 10 paid personal days, enabling employees to take time for household emergencies, illness, or other personal matters.

BC Public Service, Victoria. Provincial government; 33,041 employees. Hosts an annual Learn @ Work week to inspire employees to invest in their learning.

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BC Transit, Victoria. Public transit; 1,024 employees. Shows appreciation for its people through the Recognizing Excellence and Values program, featuring peer-nominated awards and instant recognition with redeemable points.

Beedie, Burnaby. Real estate development; 351 employees. Offers generous referral bonuses for employees who help recruit friends, to $5,000 for successful hires.

Best Buy Canada Ltd., Vancouver. Retail; 5,214 employees. Introduced a mental wellness hub on its corporate intranet and expanded coverage for mental health services to include psychotherapy.

Binary Stream Software Inc., Burnaby. Computer software; 84 employees. Manages a points-based recognition program called SPICE to encourage employees to recognize their peers for a job well done.

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Black & White Zebra Industries Inc., Vancouver. Public relations agencies; 20 employees. Offers hybrid and remote work options and provides $3,000 to help cover the costs of home office set-up.

British Columbia Automobile Association / BCAA, Burnaby. Professional organizations; 1,214 employees. Enables employees to work remotely within Canada for up to two weeks each year through a new Workaway program.

British Columbia Institute of Technology / BCIT, Burnaby. Post-secondary education; 2,368 employees. Introduced a wellness champion network to promote a culture of wellness and resilience.

British Columbia Investment Management Corp. / BCI, Victoria. Portfolio management; 608 employees. Offers generous maternity and parental leave top-up for new mothers, to 85 per cent of salary for a full year.

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British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch, Burnaby. Liquor and cannabis distribution and retail; 2,973 employees. Encourages employees to put their health first with no formal limit on annual paid sick time.

British Columbia Lottery Corporation / BCLC, Kamloops. Gambling and gaming industries; 1,003 employees. Provides essential equipment for remote work as well as the chance to purchase ergonomic chairs at the cost of $1.

British Columbia Maritime Employers Association / BCMEA, Vancouver. Industry associations; 86 employees. Provides health benefits that extend to retirees, with no age limit and 100 per cent premium coverage.

British Columbia Utilities Commission, Vancouver. Provincial utilities regulation; 92 employees. Increased maximums for its health spending account and wellness spending account, to $900 and $500 respectively.

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Calabrio, Inc., Vancouver. Software developers; 54 employees. Encourages employees to be active in the community with paid time off to volunteer, up to two days annually.

Canadian Union of Public Employees British Columbia / CUPE BC, Burnaby. Labour unions; 9 employees. Requires employees to create two to four self-care objectives as part of their annual performance plan.

Canfor Corporation, Vancouver. Forest products; 4,379 employees. Cultivates the next generation of talent with summer student roles, co-op opportunities, in-house apprenticeships and paid internships.

Capilano University, North Vancouver. Post-secondary education; 626 employees. Offers paid educational leave in support of ongoing education, ranging from two to 52 weeks depending on employee group.

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Century Group Lands Corp., New Westminster. Real estate development and management; 82 employees. Recently implemented a maternity leave top-up policy, providing new mothers with 100 per cent of salary for up to 15 weeks.

Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia / CPABC, Vancouver. Professional organizations; 139 employees. Maintains a transit reimbursement program, reimbursing up to 75 per cent of monthly public transit passes.

Clio, Burnaby. Computer software; 708 employees. Offers compassionate leave top-up for those called upon to care for a loved one, to 100 per cent of salary for up to 16 weeks.

Coast Capital Savings Federal Credit Union, Surrey. Credit unions; 1,712 employees. Donated an impressive 6,000 volunteer hours on company time in the past year.

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College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia, The, Vancouver. Professional organizations; 165 employees. Employees have the ability to extend their time out of office by combining up to four weeks of remote work with vacation time.

Community Living BC, Vancouver. Community services; 598 employees. Provides excellent maternity and parental leave top-up payments for new mothers, to 75 per cent of salary for a full year.

Concert Properties Ltd., Vancouver. Real estate development; 574 employees. Offers up to to five additional bonus days off per year as a reward for exceptional performance.

ConeTec Investigations Ltd., Burnaby. Geotechnical engineering services; 247 employees. Encourages employees to adopt an ownership culture through a share purchase plan, available to all employees.

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Copperleaf Technologies Inc., Vancouver. Specialized computer software; 301 employees. Approximately 95 per cent of employees have the option to work remotely and receive an annual OfficeFlex credit of $500 for home office expenses.

Coquitlam, City of, Coquitlam. Municipal governments; 955 employees. Helps employees plan securely for the future with generous contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.

Delta Police Department, Delta. Police services; 289 employees. Recently revised its top-up policy to provide new mothers with 95 per cent of salary for up to 52 weeks.

Dexcom Canada, Co., Burnaby. Specialized medical equipment; 96 employees. Employees can earn cash incentives for wellness-related expenses by participating in the company’s wellness program.

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DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver. Law firms; 505 employees. Helps make mental health services more accessible with coverage of up to $3,000 annually as part of its benefits plan.

Douglas College, New Westminster. Post-secondary education; 1,152 employees. Offers the convenience of onsite child care for employees with young children.

DP World Canada Inc., Burnaby. Deep sea freight transportation; 272 employees. Matches employee donations to a maximum of $1,000 per year.

Engineers and Geoscientists BC, Burnaby. Professional organizations; 116 employees. Helps employees save for life after work with matching RSP contributions.

ETRO Construction Ltd., Burnaby. Construction management; 66 employees. Maintains a “Wall of 100” display at head office to showcase plaques and photos of employees who have achieved their five-year milestone.

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Family Insurance Solutions Inc., Vancouver. Insurance agencies and brokerages; 74 employees. Supports employee volunteerism with two paid days off to volunteer each year.

First Credit Union, Powell River. Credit unions; 73 employees. Rewards exceptional performance with points that can be used for local business gift cards or personal spending account dollars.

FISPAN Services Inc., Vancouver. Software development; 122 employees. Offers a bonus week of vacation for employees celebrating five years of service.

Fraser Health Authority, Surrey. Hospitals; 13,686 employees. Allows employees nearing retirement to gradually reduce their hours with phased-in work options.

Fresh Prep Foods Inc., Vancouver. Food processing; 431 employees. Supports new mom, dads and adoptive parents with generous maternity and parental top-up payments, to 100 per cent of salary for up to 24 weeks.

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GeoComply Solutions Inc., Vancouver. Computer systems; 85 employees. Organizes a number of social events throughout the year, including a city-wide scavenger hunt aptly known as “GeoCaching”.

Greater Vancouver Food Bank, Burnaby. Food banks; 55 employees. Encourages employees to put their health first with up to 10 paid sick days annually.

Great Little Box Company Ltd., Richmond. Corrugated and solid fibre box manufacturing; 478 employees. Manages a unique Dream Outside the Box Program, granting three employees $5,000 each as well as a paid week off to fulfill lifelong dreams.

Groundswell Cloud Solutions Inc., Vancouver. Cloud-based software services; 84 employees. Employees can work from home up to 80 per cent of the year and receive a work-from-home allowance of $800.

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Hootsuite Inc., Vancouver. Social media management software; 835 employees. Offers four weeks of starting vacation allowance, moving to five weeks after only four years on-the-job.

Hudson Pacific Properties, Vancouver. Real estate development; 24 employees. Encourages employee volunteerism, providing up to four paid days off to volunteer each year.

ICBC / Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, North Vancouver. Automobile insurance; 5,875 employees. Helps employees balance work and personal commitments with up to 16 paid personal days annually.

Interfor Corp., Burnaby. Sawmills; 904 employees. Provides academic scholarships for children of employees, to $2,000 per child.

Interior Health Authority, Kelowna. Hospitals; 18,555 employees. Helps employees prepare for life after work with retirement planning assistance and generous contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.

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iQmetrix, Vancouver. Computer software; 368 employees. Encourages employees to put their health first with an unlimited paid sick day policy.

Island Health, Victoria. Hospitals; 11,544 employees. Maintains the Celebration of Excellence Program to enable employees to recognize peers for their contributions and achievements.

Jacob Bros. Construction Inc., Surrey. Construction; 308 employees. Helps employees achieve their fitness goals with free access to an onsite facility at the company’s head office.

Knight Piésold Ltd., Vancouver. Engineering consulting services; 163 employees. Helps employees gain international experience through a global career development program.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey. Post-secondary education; 1,340 employees. Supports employees who are new mothers with generous maternity and parental leave top-up, to 75 per cent of salary for a full year.

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LandSure Systems Ltd., Vancouver. Electronic land registration and information systems; 80 employees. Offers the option to purchase an additional week of paid time off.

Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia, Victoria. Land title and land survey systems; 112 employees. Provides a health spending account of up to $550, allowing employees to top up coverage as needed.

Law Society of British Columbia, The, Vancouver. Professional associations; 221 employees. Helps employees shore up savings for retirement with matching RSP contributions.

Lawson Lundell LLP, Vancouver. Law firms; 360 employees. Offers generous referral bonuses as an incentive for employees to recruit friends, providing up to $10,000 for successful hires.

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Ledcor Group of Companies, Vancouver. Construction; 6,873 employees. Doubled its mental health coverage to $1,500 annually and includes certified Canadian counsellors or registered clinical counsellors as part of its coverage.

McElhanney Ltd., Vancouver. Engineering, surveying and mapping services; 1,041 employees. Leverages employee feedback when reviewing its benefits and maintains a three-year well-being strategy.

MEC Mountain Equipment Company Ltd., Vancouver. Retail stores; 693 employees. Developed a formal wellness program with monthly workshops on physical, mental and financial wellness.

Methanex Corporation, Vancouver. Chemical manufacturing; 263 employees. Offers an international mobility program, enabling employees to work at offices worldwide for terms ranging from three months to four years in duration.

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Mosaic Forest Management Corp., Vancouver. Forestry; 160 employees. Makes donations to charitable organizations where employees volunteer their time, to $300 for every 10 hours volunteered.

Mott MacDonald Canada Limited, Vancouver. Engineering services; 240 employees. Employees have subsidized access to an onsite fitness facility with a swimming pool, squash and racquetball courts, pilates studio, and personal trainers.

Nature’s Path Foods, Inc., Richmond. Food manufacturing; 247 employees. Hosts an annual health and wellness week featuring yoga classes, holistic nutritionists and biometric screenings.

Nicola Wealth Management Ltd., Vancouver. Investment management; 396 employees. Maintains an internal Nicola Gives Back charitable committee and matches employee donations to a maximum of $500 per year.

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North Vancouver, Corporation of the District of, North Vancouver. Legislative bodies; 569 employees. Sponsors a dedicated health and wellness team responsible for coordinating wellness workshops, mental health training, and yoga classes.

Oppenheimer Group, Coquitlam. Fresh fruits and vegetable distribution; 141 employees. Lets employees share in the company’s success through year-end bonus and profit-sharing programs.

Perkins&Will Canada Architects Co., Vancouver. Architectural services; 221 employees. Reaches out to the next generation of talent through paid internships, summer employment, apprenticeships and formal mentoring programs.

Phoenix Labs, Burnaby. Video game developer; 197 employees. Helps employees save for the future with matching RSP contributions.

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Plentyoffish Media ULC, Vancouver. Dating websites; 131 employees. Supports employees who want to start a family with maternity and parental leave top-up for new parents, to 100 per cent of salary for up to 12 weeks.

Prevue HR Systems Inc., Vancouver. Software; 23 employees. Encourages employees to become recruiters with new employee referral bonuses, ranging from $500 to $3,000 depending on the position.

Prince Rupert Port Authority, Prince Rupert. Port authorities; 83 employees. Offers leadership development programs for employees interested in advancing in their careers.

QHR Technologies Inc., Kelowna. Computer systems design services; 558 employees. Cultivates an ownership mentality through a share purchase plan, available to all employees.

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Quadient Accounts Payable by Beanworks, Vancouver. Computer software; 127 employees. Offers hybrid and flexible work options and provides a monthly reimbursement of $50 for home office expenses.

RecycleSmart Solutions Inc., Richmond. Waste treatment and disposal; 85 employees. Considers previous work experience when setting individual vacation entitlements.

R.F. Binnie & Associates Ltd., Burnaby. Engineering services; 253 employees. Created a return-to-work program with employee feedback in mind and offers hybrid and flexible work options.

Saanich, District of, Victoria. Municipal governments; 729 employees. Helps employees save for the longer term with generous contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.

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Saanich Police Department, Victoria. Police services; 242 employees. Supports a number of local and national charitable initiatives each year and encourages employees to give back with paid time off to volunteer.

SAP Canada Inc., Vancouver. Custom computer programming services; 3,325 employees. Offers support for family planning, providing coverage for fertility treatments and drugs if needed as well as an adoption subsidy of up to $10,000.

Save-On-Foods Limited Partnership, Vancouver. Supermarkets and grocery stores; 10,563 employees. Helps employees save on their day-to-day grocery bills through an employee discount program.

SilverChef Rentals Inc., Vancouver. Commercial equipment wholesalers; 52 employees. Provides a health and lifestyle spending account which can be used for wide range of expenses such as ski passes, monthly parking and public transit, and pet care.

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Simon Fraser University, Burnaby. Post-secondary education; 3,432 employees. Generous time-off policies include four weeks of starting vacation allowance and additional paid time off during the winter holidays.

SkilledTradesBC, Richmond. Industry training and certifications; 136 employees. Manages a formal earned days off program for those interested in working a little extra for additional time off.

Sophos Inc., Vancouver. Custom computer programming services; 436 employees. Maintains a remote-first work model that lets employees set their onsite work schedules with their teams.

St. George’s School, Vancouver. Elementary and secondary schools; 250 employees. Invests in employee education, offering generous tuition subsidies of up to $7,500 for courses taken at outside institutions.

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Surrey School District No. 36, Surrey. Elementary and secondary schools; 10,194 employees. Helps employees plan securely for the future with generous contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.

Teck Resources Limited, Vancouver. Mining; 8,944 employees. Generously matches charitable donations made by employees, to a maximum of $3,000 annually.

TELUS Communications Inc., Vancouver. Telecommunications; 25,474 employees. Established a formal work-from-home strategy in 2006 which includes a $1,000 expense to help employees cover the costs of home office set-up.

Thinkific Labs Inc., Vancouver. Online learning software; 479 employees. Flexible work program includes the option to work from anywhere, as well as a home office budget of up to $1,500.

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TransLink (South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority), New Westminster. Public transit; 7,748 employees. Supports new mothers with maternity leave top-up payments and offers the option to extend their paid leave into an unpaid leave of absence.

Turner Construction Company Ltd., Vancouver. Construction; 139 employees. Manages a reduced summer hours program featuring a company-paid early shutdown every Friday afternoon between the end of May and the end of August.

TYBO Contracting Ltd., Langley. Construction; 172 employees. Provides academic scholarships for children of employees who are pursuing post-secondary studies, to $2,500 per child per year.

UBC / University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Post-secondary education; 15,365 employees. Hosts the annual Thrive Week campaign to encourage healthy lifestyles and offers generous coverage for mental health practitioners, up to $2,500 annually.

University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George. Post-secondary education; 595 employees. Provides generous maternity and parental leave top-up payments for new parents along with the convenience of an onsite child care centre when they’re ready to return to work.

University of the Fraser Valley / UFV, Abbotsford. Post-secondary education; 902 employees. Offers its employees a range of flexible work options and sought employee feedback when developing an updated hybrid work strategy for post-pandemic working.

University of Victoria, Victoria. Post-secondary education; 3,399 employees. Offers subsidized memberships to an onsite fitness facility that features everything from tennis, squash and badminton courts to a climbing centre and a multi-purpose field house.

Vancouver, City of, Vancouver. Municipal governments; 8,127 employees. Encourages ongoing employee development throughout their careers, from paid internships and apprenticeships to tuition subsidies for courses at outside academic institutions.

Vancouver City Savings Credit Union, Vancouver. Credit unions; 2,423 employees. Provides generous maternity and parental leave top-ups to 85 per cent of salary for 76 weeks for new moms and to 85 per cent of salary for 61 weeks for new dads and adoptive parents.

Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver. Hospitals; 18,936 employees. Encourages employees to focus on all aspects of their health through formal wellness programs, coaching, regular wellness sessions and team mini-grants in support of their wellness initiatives.

Vancouver Community College / VCC, Vancouver. Post-secondary education; 875 employees. Offers retirement planning assistance services along with generous contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.

Vancouver Foundation, Vancouver. Non-profit grantmaking foundations; 53 employees. Introduced a formal hybrid work program that lets employees split their time between the office and home, along with the option to live and work anywhere in the province.

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Vancouver. Port authorities; 452 employees. Helps its new parents with maternity and parental leave top-up payments available to moms, dads and adoptive parents along with the option to extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence.

Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo. Post-secondary education; 890 employees. Helps employees plan ahead with retirement planning assistance services along with the security of a defined benefit pension plan.

Vard Marine Inc., Vancouver. Marine engineering; 98 employees. Offers a formal hybrid work-from-home program that includes a one-time $300 payment and an annual $100 subsidy to ensure employees have a proper home office set-up.

Vega, Burnaby. Nutritional supplement manufacturing; 131 employees. Helps employees find balance between their work and personal lives through an unlimited paid vacation policy.

Ventana Construction Corporation, Burnaby. Commercial construction; 173 employees. Offers generous new employee referral bonuses when employees successfully recruit new candidates, from $800 to $5,000 depending on the position.

Victoria Airport Authority, North Saanich. Airport operations; 53 employees. Offers tuition subsidies for academic courses along with the option to apply for an unpaid educational leave of absence for full-time studies.

Wesgroup Equipment LP, Surrey. Industrial machinery and equipment distribution; 188 employees. Reaches out to the next generation of employees through apprenticeships and formal mentoring programs.

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd., Vancouver. Sawmills; 5,880 employees. As part of their flexible health plan, employees can transfer unused health coverage to their salary, savings or take as additional paid time off.

This story was produced by Mediacorp in partnership with Postmedia, on behalf of BC’s Top Employers.