Black Friday Pressures, Bell & Canada Post Staff Reduction, Youth Mental Health, 2026 HR Trends

In this episode: Black Friday pressures for retailers, workforce reduction at Bell and Canada Post, youth mental health challenges, Alberta’s new free expression law for professionals and other topics.

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1. Canadian retailers are under mounting pressure this holiday season as shoppers tighten their budgets amid rising prices, tariffs, and economic uncertainty | Retailers feel Black Friday pressure as Canadians expected to tighten their spending | CBC News 
2. Bell Canada has announced another major round of layoffs, cutting approximately 690 jobs nationwide. The majority are non‑unionized management roles | Bell slashes nearly 700 jobs in latest round of layoffs | CBC News 
3. Canada Post is expecting to lose up to 30,000 employees by 2035 through retirement and voluntary departures | Canada Post expects to lose 30K employees to retirement, voluntary departures by 2035 
4. Bill 13, the Regulated Professions Neutrality Act has been introduced by  Alberta to protect the free expression of professionals in regulated occupations | Free expression for regulated professionals | alberta.ca 
5. A new report from Mental Health Research Counsil and Greenshield , highlights how economic instability is fueling a youth mental health crisis in Canada | Generation Under Pressure: Canadian Youth Confronting Today's Challenges — Mental Health Research Canada 
6. As 2026 approaches, Canadian workplaces are preparing for major shifts driven by technology, skills, and employee expectations | HR trends and priorities for 2026 | ADP