Mzwandile Poncana

Mzwandile Poncana is an award-winning journalist and The Hill Times’ public service reporter, covering the federal workforce, government operations, workplace conditions, unions, staffing and job cuts, and the delivery of public services, among other public service related issues. Born in Gaborone, Botswana, he is a graduate of Concordia University’s journalism program and was selected as the 2023 Canadian Journalism Foundation Black Investigative Journalism Fellow. He has also completed fellowships with Journalists for Human Rights and previously worked as a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with Metroland Media. His reporting has appeared in the Toronto Star, Xtra Magazine, The Hamilton Spectator, the Waterloo Region Record, Ricochet, and other publications. Contact him at mponcana@hilltimes.com.

As Ottawa courts global capital, Invest in Canada faces questions over capacity and public benefit

The agency’s 2026-27 departmental plan outlines fewer staff and lower spending even as Ottawa signals a more prominent role under the new leadership of Dominic Barton and Gurinder Grewal.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | September 14, 2026

More than 9,400 public servants meet early retirement criteria, raising prospect of fewer layoffs in some departments

New federal data show early-retirement applications nearing the scale of planned workforce reductions in some departments, but former senior officials say the effect on layoffs will depend on which jobs are vacated, and whether they need to be refilled.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA, MARLO GLASS | September 10, 2026

Open discrimination complaints jump 51 per cent as Human Rights Commission faces spending cuts

The commission says it is becoming more efficient, but demand continues to outpace capacity as federal spending reductions move ahead.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | September 10, 2026

Union decries recurring mould, moisture concerns at DND’s Carling Campus

The union representing National Defence staff says mould remediation has either taken place or is underway in three buildings, and calls for a campus-wide assessment of humidity, moisture, and indoor-air-quality problems dating back to at least 2018.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | September 7, 2026

‘Grossly deficient’: understaffed workplace-safety program struggled to regularly inspect workplaces, evaluation finds

Twenty-six of the 29 people interviewed for the report—including program officials, and employer and employee representatives—identified problems affecting inspections, including staffing and funding constraints, training gaps, turnover, and geographic barriers.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | September 3, 2026

CFIA vows to beef up inspection with 250 jobs while hundreds of staff remain in limbo

None of the 250 new inspection and oversight roles promised under a $30-million ‘reinvestment’ have been filled, says Agriculture Union president Milton Dyck.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | August 31, 2026

‘Treated like a child’: Some public servants being graded on in-office attendance

PIPSC says it has confirmed examples in six departments and agencies where in-office presence is included in performance reviews, while Treasury Board says managers may include onsite-presence expectations in performance agreements.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | August 26, 2026

Gender impact of public service cuts unclear as union finds women overrepresented

Among Public Service Alliance of Canada members who have received notice their jobs are at risk and who disclosed their gender, the vast majority are women. Treasury Board has not released its own gender breakdown of workers receiving affected notices.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | August 24, 2026

CRA pilots AI to help with human resources, labour relations, as unions press for more consultation

The Canada Revenue Agency spent $4,900 on the four pilots, with experiments including generative AI in workforce adjustment, labour relations, and performance management.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | August 22, 2026

Restoration ongoing at federal properties more than a month after Canada Day flooding, PSPC says

The July 1 storm affected 17 federal properties in Ottawa and two in Gatineau, with roughly 100 staff affected at a CBSA laboratory and workers temporarily relocated at other west-end sites.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | August 15, 2026

Independent CBSA complaints body still dormant nearly two years after enacting law passes

The agency continues to investigate complaints against its own personnel, including ones involving immigration detention, as a new report on a former employee’s case renews scrutiny of the delayed independent review regime.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | August 13, 2026

Ottawa allows AI to help decide who advances in federal hiring, but is there enough oversight?

First published in March 2025, Public Service Commission guidance explicitly allows artificial intelligence to help determine which candidates advance in the federal hiring process, but experts and unions question whether there are sufficient safeguards around bias, human oversight, and transparency.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | August 12, 2026

Misconduct complaints to Global Affairs up, but yielded fewer investigations, substantiated cases

Complaints rose to 227 last year while investigations and founded cases both declined, and Global Affairs Canada did not directly explain the shift in response to questions from The Hill Times.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | August 10, 2026

After early retirement incentive deadline passes, Ottawa has no forecast for voluntary share of public-service reductions

More than 10,000 employees applied, but Treasury Board cannot quantify how much the incentive, or voluntary departures overall, will reduce involuntary exits.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | August 6, 2026

Former PCO clerks Bourgon, Cappe say major cuts require program-by-program decisions, careful management of departures

Jocelyne Bourgon and Mel Cappe say major reductions require decisions about what government should preserve, redesign, or stop doing.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | August 3, 2026

Public servants living with disabilities say they fear accommodation requests could hurt their careers, Public Service Commission survey finds

Seven in 10 employees living with disabilities who needed but did not request an assessment accommodation feared it would hurt their chances of succeeding, according to a Public Service Commission survey. Interviews suggest those concerns can also influence decisions about promotions, transfers and other career opportunities.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | August 2, 2026