Ontario improving employment opportunities for people facing barriers

The CSA Policy Pathways Conference convenes leaders, thinkers and changemakers across government, business, community and academia to confront the pressing questions shaping our economic future. How can we build resilience in the face of global uncertainty? What will it take to unlock innovation and ensure its benefits are broadly shared? How do we design policies that promote competition, inclusion, and financial security? Join us on November 5, 2025, in Toronto, as we explore how we can take bolder steps toward a more resilient, innovative and equitable economic future.

Budget 2025 offers Canada a chance to make employee ownership permanent by extending tax incentives for employee ownership trusts (EOTs) and worker co-ops. In Canadian Dimension, Simon Pek, Lorin Busaan and Alex Hemingway write that doing so would boost productivity, reduce inequality and secure business succession, while keeping jobs and decision-making local. A modest investment promises significant economic and social dividends.

For what it’s like to be on the inside of an employee-owned company, we spoke to a few of the 750 employees who recently became 100-per cent owners of Taproot Community Support Services, a social services provider across B.C., Alberta and Ontario. Rewards the employees highlighted include company morale and spirit, for sure. They also include financial rewards paid out annually to each employee as dividends. Last year, each employee would have received about $1000 to $1500 on top of their salaries—and as the company succeeds over time, the employees will share financially in Taproot’s success.