Legal Insights from a Toronto Employment Lawyer
Practical articles on wrongful dismissal, severance packages, employment contracts, and workplace rights in Ontario — written by Sezar Bune, J.D.
Ontario Court Awards Employee 27-Month Severance Package
Wrongful Dismissal Notice Period Cap No More: Another Court Awards Employee 27-Month Severance Package In a recent case called Milwid v. IBM Canada Ltd. 2023 ONSC 490, an Ontario court awarded an employee 27 months' pay in lieu of notice in a successful wrongful...
Employee or Independent Contractor? How Do I Know?
Employee vs Independent Contractor In Ontario, both workers and businesses commonly confront a thorny question of whether their arrangement can be characterized as an independent contractor or employment relationship. Typically, this issue arises once the business...
To Say or Not to Say: Should Employers Always Provide Employees the Reason for Termination?
Wrongful Dismissal Claims: Termination Without Cause, or Termination for Cause It is well known in Ontario employment law that an employer has a choice to terminate an employee's job either "for just cause" (good reason) or "without cause". In other words, an employer...
Employment Contract “Saving Clause”: Not Always an Employer’s Saving Grace in Wrongful Dismissals
As employment lawyers in Ontario, we are regularly called upon to review employment contracts. Oftentimes, employment lawyers assisting with looking over an employment contract in the context of negotiating its terms (especially severance pay) before an employee...
Thinking of Changing an Employment Contract? Don’t Forget Changed Substratum
Employee Promotions, Changed Substratum and Constructive Dismissal In any workplace context, employers generally have a need to maintain flexibility in order adapt to changing circumstances, economic conditions and workforce. Shortly after the Canadian economy began...
When it Comes to a Temporary Layoff, Employee’s Silence Does Not Always Equal Condonation
Does an Employee's Silence Always Amount to a Condonation of a Temporary Layoff? Ontario Court Says "No". In a recent decision, the Ontario Court of Appeal found that an employee's failure to object or speak up after his employer placed him on an unpaid temporary...
Do I Have to Accept a Lower Position after Employment Termination?
An Employee's Duty to Mitigate in Wrongful Dismissal Cases In Ontario employment law, the general rule is that an employee has a legal obligation to look for (and accept) comparable employment. This is called the "duty to mitigate" income losses. How does this rule...
How Do I Know If I Have a Constructive Dismissal Claim Against My Employer?
What Every Employee Should Know About Constructive Dismissal As an employment lawyer in Toronto, I am quite often asked to assist employees who believe they suffered a constructive dismissal. While this legal concept is not as well known, it is slowly gaining...
My Employer Has Given Me a Termination Package. Should I Accept?
Should Employees Immediately Accept an Employer's Termination Package? Generally speaking, the short answer is "No." In this employment lawyer blog post, we discuss the basic issues all (non-unionized) employees in Ontario should be aware of: What is an employee...
An Employee Who Was Wrongfully Dismissed Awarded Maximum Severance Package
Court Awards Wrongfully Dismissed Employee 24-Month Severance Package A significant issue that recently arose in Ontario employment law was whether or not an employee whose employment was terminated during the COVID-19 pandemic is entitled to more severance package....