Source: http://mccagueborlack.com/emails/articles/termination.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 00:36:37+00:00

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Lays-off an employee for a period that is longer than a temporary lay-off.
The employer is the party who alleges just cause; as such, the employer bears the onus of proof thereof. There is a high threshold for proving cause. If this threshold can be met, the employer has the right to terminate the employee forthwith and without further obligation.
How many incidents are necessary to give rise to Just Cause?
In other cases, there has not been one specific incident of insubordination that resulted in a fundamental breach of the employer-employee relationship. In these cases, it is necessary to consider the cumulative misconduct of the employee to determine if there was sufficient cause for dismissal.
Two or more wrongs are worse than one: A court is entitled to take into account the cumulative effect of an employee's conduct in determining whether the dismissal was justified.
Prior discipline for similar actions.
There is no absolute rule that an employer must provide written warning before summarily dismissing an employee for just cause.7 Whether a warning and an opportunity to improve is necessary to justify a summary dismissal will depend on the circumstances and nature of the misconduct. Where incidents, each in themselves, are serious, a written or oral warning may not be a necessary precursor to termination.
An employer must progressively discipline and warn an employee of sub-standard behaviour prior to summarily dismissing them.
Ending the working relationship immediately by paying compensation in lieu of notice.
The quantum of compensation is based on the pay and benefits that the employee would have earned during the required notice period. Dismissal without cause and without sufficient notice, or pay in lieu of notice, is wrongful dismissal.
Minimum notice under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 is the equivalent to one week's pay per year of employment, to a total of eight weeks pay. For more information on this, please see the Notice Handout.
Constructive dismissal occurs when an employer makes a change to a fundamental term of the employment contract and imposes that change unilaterally upon the employee. The employee may treat the contract as having been repudiated and sue for damages for wrongful dismissal.
In Lloyd v Imperial Parking Ltd., the court held that "[a] fundamental implied term of any employment relationship is that the employer will treat the employee with civility, decency, respect, and dignity."10 The exact standard that the employer must meet depends on the particular work environment. If the standard is breached, the employee can claim that there has been a constructive dismissal.
An employer's failure to prevent an intolerable or toxic work environment caused by the abusive or harassing behaviour of co-workers constitutes constructive dismissal.
However, in Danielisz v. Hercules Forwarding Inc., the British Columbia Supreme Court expressed disapproval of a claim for constructive dismissal on the basis of negative treatment where the plaintiff was an active participant in the creation of the toxic work environment.13 The court found that although the working environment was "unpleasant," the plaintiff had made no efforts to improve it before alleging constructive dismissal. Further, the plaintiff had engaged in poisoning the work environment.
1 R. v. Arthurs, Ex p. Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co., 1967 (Ont.C.A.).
2 McKinley v. BC Tel.,  S.C.C. 38.
3 New Perspective on Canadian Employment Law.
5 Poliquin v. Devon Canada Corp., 2009 CarswellAltaq 903 (Alta. C.A.) at 73.
7 Leach v. Canadian Blood Services,  5 W.W.R. 668.
8 Bowes v. Goss Powers Products Ltd., 2012 Ont. C.A.
9 General Motors of Canada Limited v Johnson, 2013 Ont. C.A. 502.
10 1996 CanLII 10543 (A.B.Q.B.),  A.J. No. 1087 (QL) (Q.B.).
11 2002 CanLII 49618 (ON SC).
12 2002 CanLII 49618 (ON SC).

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