Polyethics Industries temporarily laid off 118 employees in Orillia, Ontario, in October 2026, amid financial pressures linked to U.S. tariffs, lost business and financing challenges. The layoffs were reported on October 17, and the company says bringing affected workers back is a priority.
EcoPoly/Polyethics, a Canadian plastics manufacturer, continues to employ more than 200 people at its Orillia operations. However, no confirmed return-to-work date has been announced for the laid-off employees.
In Ontario, most non-unionized employees can’t simply be placed on a temporary layoff without their agreement. If Polyethics doesn’t have the legal right to lay off a worker, that employee can treat the layoff as a termination and pursue severance immediately. They don’t have to wait months for a recall.
Temporarily Laid Off By Polyethics? Your employer can’t automatically send you home without pay and make you wait for work to return. You could be owed up to 24 months’ severance, even if the company calls the layoff temporary. Contact Samfiru Tumarkin LLP before accepting the layoff.
On This Page:
According to an October 17 report by OrilliaMatters, Polyethics temporarily laid off 118 employees because of difficult economic conditions affecting its Canadian operations.
The company identified several challenges:
[OSEN=Choi Lee-jung Reporter] As past remarks by singer Yang Hong-won expressing his dislike of infidelity resurface, reactions continue to grow that the recent 'motel infidelity allegations' agai...