Employees sometimes sign releases as part of severance agreements with their employers.
However, signing such releases does not mean that employees lose their right to file a human rights complaint. The human rights complaint process is different from the usual process when there is a severance agreement . Bench has ruled that if there are reasonable questions about the validity of a release , then the Chief Commissioner shall appoint a panel to determine whether the release is valid and enforceable . This step must be taken before the usual human rights complaint process begins. It is the complainant s responsibility to explain to the panel why they believe the severance agreement is not valid.