(VANCOUVER SUN) — The following organizations have been chosen as BC’s Top Employers for 2022 (employee count refers to full-time staff):
ACCIONA Infrastructure Canada Inc., Vancouver. Construction services; 707 employees. Enhanced flexible work options over the course of the pandemic to help employees balance work and added personal responsibilities.
Alida Inc., Vancouver. Customer intelligence software; 276 employees. Encourages ongoing employee development with full tuition subsidies for job-related courses as well as subsidies for professional accreditation.
Amazon Canada, Vancouver. Electronic shopping; 25,838 employees. Supports employees who are new mothers with maternity leave top-up payments, to 100 per cent of salary for up to 16 weeks.
Aquatic Informatics Inc., Vancouver. Computer software; 72 employees. Offers employees an additional five days off in celebration of their fifth and tenth anniversaries with the company.
Arrow Transportation Systems Inc., Vancouver. Transportation, shipping and logistics; 1,041 employees. Offers generous referral bonuses as an incentive for employees to recruit friends, to $2,000 for successful hires.
BC Assessment, Victoria. Property tax assessments; 697 employees. Manages a dedicated internship program to help the next generation of appraisers gain career experience.
BC Centre for Ability, Vancouver. Individual and family services; 90 employees. Helps employees plan securely for the future with a defined benefit pension plan.
BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Vancouver. Social advocacy organizations; 112 employees. Established a dedicated “Rapid Response Fund” to support hospitals at the onset of the pandemic and hosted a number of virtual fundraising events.
BC Housing Management Commission, Burnaby. Administration of housing programs; 887 employees. Considers previous work experience when setting paid vacation entitlements for new employees.
BC Hydro, Vancouver. Hydroelectric power generation; 5,850 employees. Extends its health benefits plan to retirees, with 100 per cent premium coverage and no age limit.
BC Infrastructure Benefits Inc. / BCIB, Vancouver. Employment services; 144 employees. Provides a generous health spending account of $1,000 as part of its benefits plan, allowing employees to top up coverage as needed.
BC Pension Corporation, Victoria. Pension funds; 618 employees. Maintains excellent maternity and parental leave top-up policies, offering new mothers up to 75 per cent of salary for a full year and up to 35 weeks for new fathers and adoptive parents.
BC Public Service, Victoria. Provincial government; 32,368 employees. Manages a dedicated House of Indigenous Learning to provide resources to support employees in their reconciliation journey.
BC Transit, Victoria. Public transit; 958 employees. Encourages access to mental health practitioners with generous coverage as part of its benefits plan, to $1,500 annually.
Beedie, Burnaby. Real estate development; 299 employees. Through the Beedie Cares volunteer program, the company offers an unlimited number of paid days off to volunteer each year.
Best Buy Canada Ltd., Burnaby. Retail; 5,223 employees. Leveraged its line of business for a greater purpose over the past year, partnering with Samsung to provide tablets to hospitals across the country to help patients connect with their families.
Binary Stream Software Inc., Burnaby. Computer software; 70 employees. Helps employees stay grounded with weekly online yoga and meditation sessions as well as virtual games every Friday.
British Columbia Automobile Association / BCAA, Burnaby. Professional organizations; 1,221 employees. Extended its wellness benefits to include the purchase of ergonomic home office furniture and supplies.
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. / BC Ferries, Victoria. Passenger transportation services; 3,397 employees. Encourages employees to take the time they need to recharge with up to 10 paid personal days off and a formal earned days off program.
British Columbia Institute of Technology / BCIT, Burnaby. Post-secondary education; 2014 employees. Established an emergency response fund to help students facing financial hardships due to the pandemic.
British Columbia Investment Management Corporation / BCI, Victoria. Portfolio management; 588 employees. Manages a buddy program to match new parents with employees who returned from leave in the past year.
British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch, Burnaby. Liquor and cannabis distribution and retail; 2,881 employees. Helps employees balance work and their personal commitments with nine paid personal days annually, which can be used at their discretion.
British Columbia Lottery Corporation / BCLC, Kamloops. Gambling and gaming industries; 941 employees. Helps employees prepare for life after work with retirement assistance planning and health benefits that extend to retirees, with no age limit and 100 per cent premium coverage.
British Columbia Maritime Employers Association / BCMEA, Vancouver. Industry associations; 81 employees. Supports continuing education with generous tuition subsidies for job-related courses, to a maximum of $22,000.
British Columbia Utilities Commission, Vancouver. Provincial utilities regulation; 80 employees. Helps employees take time for themselves with a generous time-off policies, including four weeks of starting vacation allowance and 10 paid personal days each year.
Calabrio, Inc., Vancouver. Software developers; 53 employees. Manages a Calabrio Balance committee that organizes a range of wellness initiatives, from sports clubs to mental health resources to flu shot and virtual wellness clinics.
Canadian Union of Public Employees British Columbia / CUPE BC, Burnaby. Labour unions; 9 employees. Starts new employees with four weeks of paid vacation and considers previous working experience for experienced new candidates.
Canfor Corporation, Vancouver. Forest products; 3,725 employees. Created a pandemic response committee, which is responsible for developing a plan to address flexible work options post-pandemic.
Capilano University, North Vancouver. Post-secondary education; 602 employees. Makes the transition back to work a little easier for new parents with onsite child care and a variety of flexible work options.
Capital Regional District, The / CRD, Victoria. Municipal governments; 652 employees. Offers phased-in retirement work options for employees nearing retirement along with a defined benefit pension plan.
Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia / CPABC, Vancouver. Professional organizations; 140 employees. Enhanced mental health supports in response to the pandemic and created a dedicated wellness newsletter to help employees prioritize their well-being.
Clearly, Vancouver. Vision care; 209 employees. Encourages employees to adopt an ownership mentality through a share purchase plan, available to all.
Clio, Burnaby. Computer software; 523 employees. Provides ongoing mental health support through its employee assistance program and offers coverage of $2,000 per year for mental health practitioners as part of its benefits plan.
Coast Capital Savings Federal Credit Union, Surrey. Credit unions; 1,589 employees. Encourages employees to give back to their community through the Help Heroes program, which provides paid time for employees to volunteer during work hours.
Coast Mental Health, Vancouver. Individual and family services; 369 employees. Encourages employees to put their health first with up to 18 paid sick days annually.
College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia, The, Vancouver. Professional organizations; 156 employees. Implemented a permanent hybrid working model, with options for employees to work remotely from different locations, in order to extend vacations.
Community Living BC, Vancouver. Community services; 579 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; 525 employees. Invests in ongoing employee development through tuition subsidies for courses taken externally.
Copperleaf Technologies Inc., Vancouver. Specialized computer software; 240 employees. Offers generous referral bonuses as an incentive for employees to recruit friends, to $2,500 per successful new hire.
Coquitlam, City of, Coquitlam. Municipal governments; 927 employees. Helps employees prepare for life after work with retirement planning services and contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.
Delta Police Department, Delta. Police service; 276 employees. Employees can access generous coverage for mental health practitioners as part of their benefits plan, to $3,600 annually.
DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver. Law firms; 506 employees. Offers development opportunities for individuals at various stages of their careers, from paid internships for those just starting out, to career planning services for more experienced personnel.
Douglas College, New Westminster. Post-secondary education; 1,108 employees. Cultivates a culture of recognition with a number of award categories for a job well done and encourages managers to offer small thanks with e-cards and certificates.
DP World (Canada) Inc., Burnaby. Deep sea freight transportation; 261 employees. Helps employees take ownership of their well-being with health metric screenings, regular wellness challenges and a generous wellness spending account of up to $1,000 per year.
Engineers and Geoscientists BC, Burnaby. Professional organizations; 97 employees. Conducted virtual ergonomic assessments to ensure employees had proper home office set-ups.
Family Insurance Solutions Inc., Vancouver. Insurance agencies and brokerages; 70 employees. Considers previous work experience when setting starting vacation entitlements for newly hired experienced employees.
FinancialCAD Corporation / FINCAD, Surrey. Computer software; 72 employees. Repurposed its monthly transit allowance to help employees cover the costs of working from home, from increased internet to additional coffee and tea purchases.
Finning International Inc., Vancouver. Heavy equipment dealers; 4,596 employees. Extends the financial success of the company to employees through share purchase and profit-sharing plans, varying by employee group.
First Credit Union, Powell River. Credit unions; 63 employees. Encourages employees to adopt healthy habits with healthy eating challenges that feature recipes, cook-alongs, nutrition talks and support from a registered holistic nutritionist.
Fraser Health Authority, Surrey. Hospitals; 13,200 employees. Supports ongoing employee development through in-house and online training initiatives along with tuition subsidies for courses taken externally.
Fresh Prep Foods Inc., Vancouver. Food processing; 199 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.
GeoComply Solutions Inc., Vancouver. Computer systems; 47 employees. Encourages employees to save for the future through a matching RSP contribution program.
Greater Vancouver Food Bank, Burnaby. Food banks; 52 employees. Provides maternity leave top-up for employees who are new mothers, to 100 per cent of salary for up to 17 weeks.
Great Little Box Company, The, Richmond. Corrugated and solid fibre box manufacturing; 421 employees. Recognizes two top-performing employees with an “Award of Excellence” each month, which includes a $500 donation to the charity of their choice.
Hatfield Consultants LLP, North Vancouver. Environmental consulting services; 145 employees. Encourages employees to recruit from their personal networks with new employee referral bonuses, ranging from $250 to $2,000 depending on the position.
Hemmera Envirochem Inc., Burnaby. Environmental consulting services; 196 employees. Encourages ongoing employee development through generous tuition subsidies, up to $3,500 for courses related to their position.
Houle Electric Limited, Burnaby. Electrical contractors; 1,276 employees. Cultivates a culture of learning through a variety of in-house and online training initiatives, including apprenticeships.
ICBC / Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, North Vancouver. Automobile insurance; 5,525 employees. Supports parents with older kids through an academic scholarship program for children of employees up to $2,000 per child per year.
Industry Training Authority / ITA, Richmond. Industry training and certifications; 125 employees. Supports its new moms with generous maternity and parental leave top-up payments for a full year along with parental leave top-up for new dads and adoptive parents.
Interior Health Authority, Kelowna. Hospitals; 10,285 employees. Starts new employees with a minimum of four weeks of paid vacation allowance and considers previous work experience when setting vacation for experienced candidates.
iQmetrix, Vancouver. Computer software; 349 employees. Supports new families with a generous $25,000 subsidy for IVF treatments if required along with generous maternity and parental leave top-up payments.
Jacob Bros Construction Inc., Surrey. Construction; 297 employees. In celebration of their fifth anniversary of employment, and every fifth anniversary thereafter, employees can choose between a trip for two, an RRSP contribution or a cash reward.
Kabam Games, Inc., Vancouver. Game developers; 531 employees. As part of the flexible health benefits plan, employees can transfer unused credits to a health spending account, a personal spending account or long-term savings.
Knight Piésold Ltd., Vancouver. Engineering consulting services; 160 employees. Supports ongoing employee development through a number of programs including a unique global career development program that lets employees work at other locations around the world.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey. Post-secondary education; 1,319 employees. Employees can plan securely for life after work with a defined benefit pension plan and may also take advantage of phased-in work options as they near retirement.
LandSure Systems Ltd., Vancouver. Electronic land registration and information systems; 64 employees. Starts new employees with three weeks of paid vacation and 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; 111 employees. Helps employees plan securely for life after work with generous contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.
Law Society of British Columbia, The, Vancouver. Professional associations; 203 employees. Supports new parents with maternity and parental leave top-up payments, ranging from 10 weeks to 50 weeks for new mothers.
Lawson Lundell LLP, Vancouver. Law firms; 334 employees. Provides maternity and parental leave top-up for new parents and offers an option for employees to phase in their return to work.
Ledcor Group of Companies, Vancouver. Construction; 4,965 employees. Supports ongoing employee development through co-op placements, apprenticeships, formal mentoring programs and tuition subsidies.
MacroHealth Canada, Vancouver. Information technology services; 62 employees. Lets employees determine their needed levels of health coverage through a generous health spending account of $4,000 annually.
Mosaic Forest Management Corp., Vancouver. Sawmills; 149 employees. Encourages employees to get involved in their community with paid volunteer time as well as matching financial donations to their favourite charities, up to $300 per year.
Mott MacDonald Canada Limited, Vancouver. Engineering services; 231 employees. Encourages employees to recruit their friends with generous new employee referral bonuses, ranging up to $2,500 for each successful hire.
Nature’s Path Foods, Inc., Richmond. Food manufacturing; 190 employees. As part of their health benefits plan, employees can take advantage of a “Get Fit” subsidy of $500 that can be used for fitness activities or the purchase of home fitness equipment.
Nicola Wealth Management Ltd., Vancouver. Investment management; 291 employees. Adapted a formal health and well-being action plan to include virtual one on one well-being coaching, yoga and meditation programs.
North Vancouver, Corporation of the District of, North Vancouver. Legislative bodies; 552 employees. Helps employees balance their day-to-day commitments with number of flexible working arrangements along with a formal earned days off program.
Oppenheimer Group, Coquitlam. Fresh fruits and vegetable distribution; 136 employees. Set up a mental health micro-site on the corporate intranet that offers employees a range of free online resources, webinars and access to counselling and referral services.
Perkins&Will Canada Architects Co., Vancouver. Architectural services; 215 employees. Supports ongoing professional employee development with tuition subsidies for courses both related and not directly related to their current position.
Plenty of Fish, Vancouver. Dating websites; 130 employees. Offers generous referral bonuses for employees who recruit candidates from their personal networks, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.
Pretium Resources Inc., Vancouver. Mining; 848 employees. Supports employee development with generous tuition subsidies for job-related courses to $2,500 annually.
Providence Health Care, Vancouver. Hospitals; 4,466 employees. Starts most new employees with four weeks of paid vacation allowance and up to five paid personal days to help balance their day-to-day responsibilities.
QHR Technologies Inc., Kelowna. Computer systems design services; 540 employees. Lets everyone share in the company’s success with year-end bonuses and a share purchase plan that is available to all employees.
RecycleSmart Solutions Inc., Richmond. Waste treatment and disposal; 67 employees. Helped employees stay connected virtually over the past year hosting online happy hours, coffee dates, games nights, trivia nights and fitness challenges.
R.F. Binnie & Associates Ltd., Burnaby. Engineering services; 241 employees. Starts its newest employees with four weeks of paid vacation and considers previous work experience when setting vacation entitlements for experienced candidates.
Saanich Police Department, Victoria. Police services; 242 employees. Supports its parents with older kids through an academic scholarship program, up to $1,000 per child annually.
SAP Canada Inc., Vancouver. Custom computer programming services; 3,316 employees. Supports new families with a $25,000 lifetime allotment to cover the costs of fertility treatments as well as offering an adoption subsidy to $10,000 for those looking to adopt.
Save-On-Foods Limited Partnership, Vancouver. Supermarkets and grocery stores; 11191 employees. Supports ongoing employee development with tuition subsidies for job-related courses and offers academic scholarships for children of employees, up to $3,000 per child annually.
SilverChef Rentals Inc., Vancouver. Commercial equipment wholesalers; 45 employees. Helped employees stay connected through themed virtual weekly challenges, monthly happy hours and holiday celebrations.
Simon Fraser University, Burnaby. Post-secondary education; 3,362 employees. Helps employees prepare for life after work with contributions to a defined benefit pension plan and health benefits that extend to retirees.
Sophos Inc., Vancouver. Custom computer programming services; 331 employees. Supports its new moms with maternity leave top-up to 100 per cent of salary for up to 12 weeks and offers parental top-ups for fathers and adoptive parents for up to six weeks.
SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc., Vancouver. Engineering services; 213 employees. Helps employees save for the future with RSP contributions and lets employees share in the company’s successes through share purchase and profit-sharing plans.
St. George’s School, Vancouver. Elementary and secondary schools; 247 employees. Supports parents with school aged children with academic scholarships ranging up to $9,000 per child per year.
Surrey School District No. 36, Surrey. Elementary and secondary schools; 10,258 employees. Supports new parents to be through a generous subsidy for IVF treatments if necessary, up to $20,000.
Talk Shop Media Inc. / TSM, Vancouver. Public relations; 37 employees. Encourages employees to recruit their friends with generous new employee referral bonuses, ranging up to $1,000 for each successful hire.
Teck Resources Limited, Vancouver. Mining; 8,371 employees. Helps employees plan ahead with retirement planning services, a defined contribution pension plan as well as phased-in work options when close to retirement.
TELUS Communications Inc., Vancouver. Telecommunications; 25,014 employees. Introduced a pandemic related benefit that included a dedicated expense allowance of $1,000 to help employees create comfortable home offices.
TransLink (South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority), New Westminster. Public transit; 7,742 employees. Helped to keep employees engaged through a variety of virtual events, including coffee chats, meditation sessions, stretch breaks, trivia games and other team building activities.
Tybo Contracting Ltd., Langley. Construction; 138 employees. Offers up to two paid volunteer days off along with matching charitable donations and matching cash donations for volunteer time.
UBC / University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Post-secondary education; 14,477 employees. Offers a range of flexible work options to help employees balance their work and personal lives, from flexible hours to shortened and compressed work weeks.
University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George. Post-secondary education; 569 employees. Encourages employees to continue their education with tuition subsidies for programs related and not directly related to their positions.
University of the Fraser Valley / UFV, Abbotsford. Post-secondary education; 861 employees. As part of their health plan employees receive a $1,000 spending account for additional coverages with the option to transfer unused credits to their savings accounts.
University of Victoria, Victoria. Post-secondary education; 3,224 employees. Manages a comprehensive health and wellness strategy and recently launched virtual memberships to its on campus fitness facility to help employees stay fit.
Vancouver, City of, Vancouver. Municipal governments; 7,648 employees. Reaches out to the next generation of employees through paid internships, summer employment and extensive apprenticeship opportunities for students and recent grads.
Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver. Hospitals; 18,564 employees. Helps provide longer term peace of mind for employees with contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.
Vancouver Community College / VCC, Vancouver. Post-secondary education; 758 employees. Established a mental health and well-being steering committee and offers employees a generous mental health practitioners as part of their health plan.
Vancouver Foundation, Vancouver. Non-profit grantmaking foundations; 54 employees. Supports its new moms, dads and adoptive parents with generous maternity and parental leave top-up payments, to 95 per cent of salary for 61 weeks.
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Vancouver. Port authorities; 438 employees. Conducted regular pulse surveys over the past year to gauge employee’s experience working remotely to better understand the impacts of the pandemic.
Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo. Post-secondary education; 916 employees. Encourages employees to focus on their overall health through weekly “THRIVE Here” communications that address physical, mental, social, nutritional, intellectual and spiritual health issues.
Vard Marine Inc., Vancouver. Marine engineering; 99 employees. Helps employees balance their day-to-day responsibilities with flexible work hours and up to 10 paid personal days per year.
Ventana Construction Corporation, Burnaby. Commercial construction; 163 employees. Supports employee development throughout their careers, from apprenticeship programs to tuition subsidies to support for professional accreditation.
Victoria Airport Authority, North Saanich. Airport operations; 51 employees. Encourages employees to focus on their overall health through a variety of activities hosted during an annual Healthy Workplace Month.
Wesgroup Equipment LP, Surrey. Industrial machinery and equipment distribution; 161 employees. Encourages employees to recruit their friends with generous new employee referral bonuses ranging from $1,500 to $3,000.
West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd., Vancouver. Sawmills; 5,793 employees. Helps employees save securely for life after work with contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.
WorkSafeBC, Vancouver. Human resource programs; 3,425 employees. Encourages employees to put their health and wellness first with a mental health practitioner benefit of up to $2,400 annually as part of their health plan.
Zymeworks Inc., Vancouver. Biopharmaceutical research and development; 224 employees. Health plan features a lifestyle spending account that can be used for a variety expenses, ranging from family wellness to education to fitness.