Municipal Government

Interested in working for a municipality? The Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ website explores current municipal issues and links to municipalities’ websites. To gain further insight into local government work opportunities, visit the human resources websites or offices for your municipality of interest. For more check out Municipal World which features current issues in municipal affairs and contains employment postings.

The City of Toronto

The City of Toronto employs over 39,000 people in more than 4,000 types of work including social services, emergency services, and parks and recreation. For information on current jobs and the applications process, visit the City of Toronto website.

Information on Toronto’s community services is available in the Blue Book—Directory of Community Services in Toronto, available in the Career Resource Library, or you can search the directory online.

If you are an urban planning student and you are looking to get hands-on experience, visit Canadian Institute of Planners for internship opportunities. As well, consider the U of T’s Urban Studies course INI 306 - Urban Experiential Learning in Toronto & the GTA, which includes a mandatory internship with a city councillor.

Provincial Government

To access current provincial government job listings and current employment programs and internships for students and graduates, visit GO Jobs. Temporary positions with provincial ministries are filled through employment agencies - find out which agencies are used by a particular ministry by contacting the human resources branch directly. For a list of ministries and agencies, as well as the provincial telephone directory go to the INFOGO directory. For information on provincial ministries visit the Ontario Government’s website.

Federal Government

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is the main recruitment department for the federal government. Opportunities open to the general public are posted online. Not all federal departments do their hiring through the PSC—for a collection of links to some of these agencies visit www.jobsetc.ca. Additional independent departments include the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Coast Guard.

Post-Secondary Recruitment (PSR)

The PSR is a national initiative to recruit post-secondary graduates for careers in the Public Service of Canada. Applicants are required to write a Situational Judgement Test—and some specific positions require additional tests (sample tests and more details are provided online). Campaigns begin in September and continue through the year. Submit your profile to the online inventory.

Federal Student Work Experience Program

This program is the primary vehicle through which federal departments and agencies recruit for some 8,000 part-time and summer student jobs each year. There is no deadline for applying to the general inventory, but some departments hire early in the year. Apply online

Official Languages Programs

The federal government offers programs for work with students of English through My Accent or My Odyssey or the chance for a language exchange through My Explore.

Working abroad

The Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFAIT) provides information about the Foreign Service Exam and a career with the Foreign Service. The Career Resource Library has information on life in the foreign service including a video of the recent Career Centre panel Careers in the Foreign Service.

If you are interested in working for the Canadian government in a specific country, enquire directly to that country’s embassy as some of them offer special student internships. A list of embassy websites can be viewed on DFAIT’s website

Additional Sources of Government Information

The Canadian Sourcebook is an excellent source of information about Canada and the Canadian government. It includes contact information for government departments and ministries, as well as organizations like libraries, museums, parks. Available in the Career Resource Library.

The Metro Urban Affairs Library, Ground Floor, Metro Hall, 55 John Street and the Metro Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street, have collections of books on career paths at all government levels as well as materials on urban and municipal affairs.