Top Employer: Durward Jones Barkwell & Company LLP

Recognized as one of Hamilton-Niagara's Top Employers (2025):

Here are some of the reasons why Durward Jones Barkwell & Company LLP was selected as one of Hamilton-Niagara's Top Employers (2025):

Durward Jones Barkwell & Company supports its new parents with maternity and parental leave top-up payments for 17 weeks -- and returning parents may apply to extend their leave into an unpaid leave of absence
Durward Jones Barkwell & Company helps employees save for life after work with contributions to a defined contribution pension plan -- and lets employees share in the firm's successes through a formal year-end bonus program
Durward Jones Barkwell & Company helps employees balance their day-to-day lives through a range of work options, including flexible hours, shortened and compressed work weeks, reduced summer hours, and hybrid work

Durward Jones Barkwell & Company team members on-site for a client film session in Burlington, ON (Photo credit: Joseph Michael)

Industry	Accounting
Established in Canada	1940
Major Canadian locations	St Catharines ON, Welland ON, Burlington ON, Hamilton ON
Full-time employees in Canada	141
Part-time employees in Canada	43
Average age of employees in Canada	36 years
Longest serving employee	36 years
Benefits note	Durward Jones Barkwell & Company LLP has multiple employee groups, the following programs and policies may vary by position
Flexible work options	hybrid work option, flexible work hours, compressed work week, shortened work week (fewer hours with less pay), telecommuting, reduced summer hours
Long-term savings	defined-contribution (DC) pension
Health plan premium	as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 90% of the premiums
Mental health practitioner benefit	up to $750 each year
Maternity top-up (mothers)	up to 75% of salary for 17 weeks
Parental top-up (fathers)	up to 75% of salary for 17 weeks
Adoption top-up	up to 75% of salary for 17 weeks
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job
Outside survey period	outside consultant surveys are held every 24 months
Employee performance reviews	employees receive individual performance reviews every 12 months
In-house training initiatives	in-house training, online training, mentoring, leadership development programs, paid internships
Tuition subsidies (related to job)	yes
Employee charitable involvement	employees are involved in selection of charities

Here are some of the reasons why Durward Jones Barkwell & Company LLP was selected as one of Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers (2025):

Durward Jones Barkwell & Company invests in ongoing employee development with tuition subsidies for job-related courses, as well as subsidies for professional accreditations and financial bonuses for some course completions (up to $3,000)
Durward Jones Barkwell & Company encourages employees to act as recruiters for the firm with generous referral bonuses, from $1,000 to $10,000 depending on the position
Durward Jones Barkwell & Company beings new employees with three weeks of paid vacation and current employees can apply for additional time off through unpaid leaves of absence

Durward Jones Barkwell & Company staff attend a campus recruitment event

Industry	Accounting
Established in Canada	1940
Major Canadian locations	St Catharines ON, Welland ON, Burlington ON, Hamilton ON
Full-time employees in Canada	141
Part-time employees in Canada	43
Full-time employee growth in the past year	1.4 %
Average age of employees in Canada	36 years
Longest serving employee	36 years
Long-term savings	defined-contribution (DC) pension
Health plan premium	as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 90% of the premiums
Flexible work options	hybrid work option, flexible work hours, compressed work week, shortened work week (fewer hours with less pay), telecommuting, reduced summer hours
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job
In-house training initiatives	in-house training, online training, mentoring, leadership development programs, paid internships
Tuition subsidies (related to job)	yes
Performance recognition	individual performance bonuses, on-the-spot rewards, peer-to-peer recognition awards, tailored and unique rewards (e.g. travel), long-service awards

Durward Jones Barkwell & Company employees dress up to get lunch together

Industry	Accounting
Full-time employees in Canada	101 to 250
Major Canadian locations	St Catharines ON, Welland ON, Burlington ON, Hamilton ON
Student opportunities	paid internships, summer jobs, co-op opportunities
Training	subsidies for professional accreditation, orientation program, online training, in-house training, mentoring, leadership training
Tuition subsidies (related to job)	yes
Typical new grad positions	Junior Staff Accountant, Assurance; Junior Staff Accountant, Taxation; Intermediate Staff Accountant, Assurance; Intermediate Staff Accountant, Taxation; Human Resources Assistant; Junior IT Technician; Accounting Technician
Work benefits	health benefits for new employees, flexible work hours, telecommuting
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job

Bachelor of Commerce / Business Administration
- Accounting
- Human Resources
Community College Diploma
- Accounting
- Human Resources
Master of Business Administration
- Accounting
Professional Accreditation
- Accounting (CA)
- Financial Planning (CFP, FMA)
- Human Resources (CHRP, CEBS)
- Other Business / Technical/ Industry Certifications