Top Employer: Charles River Laboratories Montréal ULC

Recognized as one of Montreal's Top Employers (2025):

Here are some of the reasons why Charles River Laboratories Montréal ULC was selected as one of Montreal's Top Employers (2025):

Charles River Laboratories encourages ongoing professional development with generous tuition subsidies for job-related courses at outside academic institutions, to $10,000 annually
Charles River Laboratories maintains a sabbatical leave program, providing employees with the opportunity to apply for up to four weeks of consecutive paid leave to participate in community service or professional development (available to employees with a minimum of three years of service)
Charles River Laboratories offers coverage for mental health practitioners as part of its benefits plan (up to $1,500 annually) and supports an internal wellness program based on physical, emotional, community, social and financial well-being

Charles River Laboratories employees organize a barbecue in celebration of Pride Month

Industry	Medical research and development
Established in Canada	1947
Publicly traded	yes
Parent company	Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.
Parent company head office	Wilmington, MA, United States
Major Canadian locations	Saint-Constant QC, Montréal QC, Laval QC, Sherbrooke QC
Full-time employees in Canada	2,440
Part-time employees in Canada	89
Average age of employees in Canada	40 years
Longest serving employee	47 years
Flexible work options	hybrid work option, flexible work hours, compressed work week
Long-term savings	matching RSP
Health plan premium	as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 85% of the premiums
Mental health practitioner benefit	up to $1,500 each year
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job
Employee performance reviews	employees receive individual performance reviews every 6 months
In-house training initiatives	apprenticeship/skilled trades programs, in-house training, online training, mentoring, leadership development programs, paid internships
Related tuition subsidies	employer covers up to 100% of tuition per year
Annual tuition maximum	employer pays up to $10,000 in tuition subsidies for job-related courses per year
Employee charitable involvement	employees are involved in selection of charities, employees receive paid time off to volunteer, (up to 1 paid day)

Industry	Medical research and development
Full-time employees in Canada	1,001 to 2,500
Parent company	Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.
Parent company head office	Wilmington, MA, United States
Major Canadian locations	Saint-Constant QC, Montréal QC, Laval QC, Sherbrooke QC
Student opportunities	paid internships, summer jobs
Training	subsidies for professional accreditation, orientation program, online training, in-house training, mentoring, in-house career planning services, leadership training
Annual tuition maximum	employer pays up to $10,000 in tuition subsidies for job-related courses per year
Typical new grad positions	Veterinary Technician, Animal Health Technician, Laboratory Analyst
Work benefits	health benefits for new employees, flexible work hours, transit subsidies, employees receive paid time off to volunteer
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job

Concordia University

McGill University

Université de Montréal

Université de Sherbrooke

Université du Québec à Montréal

University of Manitoba