GUELPH – Co-operators was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2025 by Mediacorp Canada on Nov. 15.
Now celebrating its 25th year, Canada’s Top 100 Employers is an editorial competition that looks to recognize Canadian employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. Winners are announced annually in a special magazine distributed in The Globe and Mail.
“Being named one of Canada’s top 100 employers, it’s an honour,” said Laura Mably, executive vice president and chief human resources officer of Co-operators.
“We work hard to create an environment where employees feel valued, and people feel supported.”
Co-operators began in 1945 in Regina, Saskatchewan with the development of Co-operators Life Insurance Company. The company became the fastest growing life insurer in Canada.
By 1947 Co-operative Life expanded into Manitoba, Alberta and Ontario, with the company taking on auto claims in the 1950s.
The company’s national headquarters is located in Guelph and the company boasts a total of 6,916 full-time employees and 214 part-time employees across Canada.
“Our view is our employees are the driving force behind our ability to deliver and … I’ve had so many employees email me to say they’re not surprised, because it’s a fantastic place to work, and we do a lot to support employees and so everyone’s just feeling a real sense of pride at being recognized,” Mably told the Advertiser.
According to the “Canada’s Top 100” website, reasons Co-operators was selected include its defined pension plans that provide health benefits to retirees with no age limit and 75 per cent minimum coverage, its generous mental health coverage of up to $5,000 a year, and its maternal and parental leave of up to 80% salary for a maximum of 26 weeks, which is inclusive to adoptive parents as well.
According to Mably, the company also provides two paid volunteer days each year to encourage giving back to the community.
“We’ve got a number of really competitive approaches in terms of supporting our employees, and we also empower employees to give back and strengthen community resilience … in 2023 employees spent over 27,000 hours giving back to the community,” Mably told the Advertiser.
Mably said the company has been named in the top-100 list before, and despite the lengthy application process, the company plans to continue applying.
“I think for sure we’re going to do it; we consider this a real sense of pride,” said Mably.
“We also love the fact that it brands us as an employer and so we’re definitely going to continue. Whether we do it every year or every other year is still to be determined.”
