Job Fairs Toronto: What non-unionized employees should know about employment rights – Samfiru Tumarkin LLP

Employment Rights When Attending Toronto Job Fairs

Toronto job fairs are a fantastic way to connect with potential employers, explore new career opportunities, and secure your next role. Whether you’re attending the CNE Job Fair, the Toronto Pearson Job Fair, or browsing listings on platforms like Eventbrite, it’s important to understand your employment rights in Ontario before diving into a new role. As a non-unionized employee, you should be aware of your rights related to severance pay, employment contracts, and more as you navigate your job search.

1. Understanding Severance Pay in Ontario

If you’ve recently lost your job and are now looking for new employment at a Toronto job fair, it’s important to know that you are likely entitled to severance pay from your previous employer. In Ontario, severance pay is a right for non-unionized employees, and you may be owed compensation even if you are actively searching for your next role.

Severance Pay After Job Loss

When you lose your job in Ontario, your employer is required to provide you with a severance package that compensates you for the loss of your position. This applies regardless of whether your employer claims financial hardship or if you’ve already started searching for new work. If you were let go for cause, you are still likely owed severance. Severance pay is meant to bridge the gap between jobs and help you transition smoothly, providing financial security during this period. You can’t collect severance and EI at the same time.

The amount of severance you’re owed depends on several factors, including your length of service, age, position, and ability to find similar work. Full severance packages are often much higher than the minimums outlined by the province’s Employment Standards Act (ESA), typically amounting to as much as 24 months’ pay.

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You may be owed additional compensation depending on why you lost your job. For instance, it is illegal to fire someone in Ontario for discriminatory reasons.

Use Ontario’s Severance Pay Calculator to get a basic understanding of how much compensation you may be owed. Then, contact an employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP to start the process of securing your proper severance package.

Temporary Layoffs Are Illegal

If you’ve been placed on a temporary layoff and are now looking for new work in the meantime, you should know that these layoffs are often illegal in Ontario unless your employment contract specifically allows for them. For most non-unionized employees, a temporary layoff is considered a termination, and you are entitled to severance pay as a result.

If you’re searching for new employment while on a temporary layoff, your former employer may have already violated your rights, meaning you’re owed severance as though you were permanently fired.

2. Employment Contracts and New Jobs

When attending Toronto job fairs or interviewing for new positions, you’ll likely be asked to sign an employment contract. Understanding the terms of these contracts in Ontario is essential to protecting your rights.

• Review the terms carefully: Employment contracts can include clauses that limit your ability to seek full severance if you lose your job. For example, many contracts attempt to limit severance to the minimum amount, which can leave employees with far less compensation than they are actually entitled to.
• Key clauses to look for: Pay attention to clauses related to termination, non-compete agreements, and probation periods. These clauses can significantly affect your future employment prospects and financial compensation if things don’t work out with your new employer. Consulting with a Samfiru Tumarkin LLP employment lawyer before you sign can help you understand whether the terms are fair, and negotiate a better agreement.

Watch: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains what you need to know about severance package offers on the Employment Law Show.