
Unifor reports that Bell Media has cut 20 union members, including 11 journalists across Toronto, North Bay, Halifax, and Calgary.
The Washington Post announced sweeping layoffs on February 4, 2026, cutting roughly one-third of its workforce across all departments. This guide is designed to support employees affected by these layoffs as they navigate their next steps.
When a major broadcaster like Bell Media lays off 20 union members, including 11 journalists across Toronto, North Bay, Halifax, and Calgary, it is more than a headline. It is a signal to every media worker that even respected newsrooms can change direction quickly, leaving talented people scrambling to figure out their next move.
These cuts hit multiple roles: journalists, traffic coordinators, schedulers, and promotional coordinators who keep content, campaigns, and broadcasts running smoothly. For many, their day-to-day work has been about deadlines, live hits, and complex production schedules, not about writing resumes or mapping transferable skills.
A layoff is emotionally heavy and administratively messy, with severance conversations, union processes, and job searches all happening at once. Without guidance, media professionals often undersell what they actually do: turning breaking news into clear stories, coordinating multi-stakeholder projects, managing on-air crises, and delivering content across platforms. Those are the same competencies hiring managers look for in communications, marketing, public affairs, and digital roles.
This is exactly where structured support matters for displaced media workers. Skills like research, interviewing, deadline management, content planning, and audience engagement map directly into roles in corporate communications, agencies, nonprofits, and the public sector. With the right framing, a reporter’s beat, a producer’s show, or a coordinator’s campaign can become a portfolio of measurable achievements that resonates with employers.
Yotru is built to help organizations and unions turn that gap into a support system. Our AI-guided resume builder helps workers translate beats, shows, and campaigns into employer-ready bullet points that align with today’s job postings and ATS filters. Instead of starting from a blank page, members answer targeted questions, pull in past roles, and see their accomplishments reframed in clear, marketable language.
For unions, workforce development programs, and educational partners responding to layoffs like Bell’s, a platform like Yotru becomes part of the outplacement toolkit. It offers consistent, always-on guidance at scale while freeing staff and reps to focus on higher-touch support such as rights advice, networking, and mental health resources. Layoffs may be outside workers’ control, but how quickly they rebuild career momentum does not have to be.

Team Yotru
Employability Systems & Applied Research
Team Yotru
Employability Systems & Applied Research
We build career tools informed by years working in workforce development, employability programs, and education technology. We work with training providers and workforce organizations to create practical tools for employment and retraining programs—combining labor market insights with real-world application to support effective career development. Follow us on LinkedIn.
Unifor reports that Bell Media laid off 20 union members, including 11 journalists in Toronto, North Bay, Halifax, and Calgary, along with traffic, scheduling, and promotional roles.
This article is written for Bell Media journalists, editors, and support staff affected by the February 2026 layoffs. It provides practical guidance for navigating severance discussions, union representation, and career transition in a period of ongoing cuts across Canada’s media industry.
Yotru content prioritizes accuracy, neutrality, and evidence-based guidance. All factual claims are verified against company statements, union communications, and reputable news reporting. This article is updated as new information becomes available.
This article draws on publicly available reporting about Bell Media’s February 2026 layoffs from outlets covering Canadian media and labor, including The Globe and Mail, Yahoo Finance, CityNews, and CNW/Unifor releases. Additional sources include Unifor communications on Bell workforce reductions, Canadian employment law and severance resources, and Yotru’s applied research on job search strategy and career transition for media professionals.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, employment, or financial advice. Severance terms, benefits, and union contract provisions may differ from what is described here and are subject to ongoing negotiation. Individual outcomes depend on specific employment circumstances, union membership status, and regional regulations.
Layoff Support and Career Transition
Resume and Job Search Strategy
Related Media and Tech Layoffs
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