Employment Law

Subway Canada: Severance Packages

A delicious submarine sandwich, packed with meat, cheese and assorted vegetables, sits on a wooden cutting board. Subway Canada employees are entitled to severance pay when they lose their job.

Subway Canada is a popular American fast-food restaurant franchise operating in Canada that specializes in submarine sandwiches, salads, and wraps. Today, Subway is one of the largest fast-food chains globally, with thousands of locations in over 100 countries, including Canada.

In Canada, Subway operates nearly 3,000 individual locations, providing work for 30,000 employees across the country. Their workforce is made up of both full-time and part-time employees at various levels, including restaurant staff, managers, corporate positions, and support staff. At the restaurant level, you can find positions such as sandwich artists, shift supervisors, and store managers. At the corporate level, Subway offers career opportunities in areas such as marketing, finance, operations, human resources, and supply chain management. Additionally, there are positions in training and development, IT, real estate, and franchise support.

Subway began in 1965 as a small sandwich shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The founders, Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck, aimed to fund DeLuca’s college education by starting the business. They named it “Pete’s Super Submarines,” which was later shortened to “Subway.” The concept of offering freshly made submarine sandwiches quickly gained popularity, leading to the opening of additional locations. Subway’s growth accelerated in the 1980s and 1990s as it started franchising its business model, allowing entrepreneurs to open their own Subway restaurants.

Subway layoffs

  • No significant layoffs have been reported.

Severance for Subway employees

In Canada, non-unionized employees at Subway may get up to 24 months of severance pay when they are fired or laid off from their job. This applies to individuals working in any capacity—full-time, part-time, or hourly—in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Contractors may also be entitled to severance pay due to employee misclassification.

Severance is the compensation provided to non-unionized workers in Canada by their employer when they are terminated without cause.

Even if an employee is fired for cause, they may still be eligible for full severance pay. This is due to the high standards required to legally justify for-cause dismissal.

LEARN MORE
Severance for provincially regulated employees
Severance packages in mass layoffs
How severance pay works by company
Severance for federally regulated employees

The right to severance pay is consistent regardless of economic conditions, company downsizing, business closures, or significant public health events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.


WATCH: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains everything you need to know about severance pay on an episode of the Employment Law Show.


The employment lawyers at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP have represented tens of thousands of employees over the years in severance package negotiations.

We have successfully secured much larger amounts for individuals employed across a variety of positions, from entry level jobs to executives.

Lost your job?

Talk to Canada's most positively reviewed employment law firm today to get the advice you need and the compensation you deserve.

Get Help Now

How to properly calculate severance pay

There is a general belief that severance is one week’s pay, two weeks’ pay, or a week for every year of service an employee has with a company.

The reality is that severance for non-unionized employees in Canada is calculated using a variety of factors, including age, length of service, position, bonuses, benefits, and your ability to find new work.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
• Severance Pay in Ontario
• Alberta severance packages
• Understanding severance in B.C.
Layoffs in Canada

Before accepting a severance offer, double-check the amount using our firm’s free Severance Pay Calculator. It has helped millions of Canadians determine their entitlements.

If your employer’s offer falls short of what our Severance Pay Calculator says you are owed, it’s very likely that you have been wrongfully dismissed and should contact an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP.

Don’t sign on the dotted line!

Do not accept any severance offer, termination papers, or exit agreement that you receive. Once you sign back these documents, you eliminate your ability to negotiate additional severance pay.

Non-unionized employees in Canada have up to two years from the date of their dismissal to pursue proper severance pay. An employer’s deadline to sign back a severance offer is not legally enforceable or binding.

Generally speaking, if an employee does not receive the proper amount of severance pay when they lose their job, they may be considered to have been wrongfully dismissed. An employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP can analyze your situation and explain how much compensation you may be owed.

Talk to an employment lawyer

The experienced employment law team at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP has helped tens of thousands of non-unionized individuals across the country. In addition to severance package negotiations, our team has experience securing solutions for the following employment matters:



 

Our lawyers in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C. stand ready to help you solve your workplace issues.

If you are a non-unionized employee who needs help with an employment issue, contact us or call 1-855-821-5900 to get the advice you need, and the compensation you deserve.

Get What You're Owed!

Our employment lawyers in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C. are ready to provide you with the advice you need and the compensation you deserve.

Get help now

Disclaimer: The materials above are provided as general information about the rights of non-unionized employees in Canada. It is not specific to any one company and should not be read as suggesting any improper conduct on the part of any specific employer, or a relationship between Samfiru Tumarkin LLP and a specific employer.

Advice You Need. Compensation You Deserve.

Consult with Samfiru Tumarkin LLP. We are one of Canada's most experienced and trusted employment, labour and disability law firms. Take advantage of our years of experience and success in the courtroom and at the negotiating table.

Get help now