Employment Law

Biogen Canada: Severance Packages

biogen canada, severance package

Biogen Canada is a biotechnology company that focuses on the discovery, development, and delivery of therapies for neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. The company is known for its work in areas such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer’s disease, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and other neurological disorders.

Services: Biogen Canada’s services include research and development of innovative therapies and drugs for neurological conditions, manufacturing and commercialization of approved medications, and support and educational resources for patients and healthcare professionals.

Employees and Offices: Biogen Canada’s head office is located in Toronto. Over 200 of the company’s 9,000 employees work in Canada.

Types of Jobs: Biogen employs a diverse workforce, including research scientists and biotechnologists, regulatory affairs professionals, manufacturing and supply chain specialists, sales and marketing teams, and corporate functions such as finance, human resources, and IT.

Brief History: Biogen was founded in 1978 by a group of scientists, including Phillip Sharp and Walter Gilbert, who were Nobel Prize winners in the field of genetics. The company started with a focus on developing treatments for MS and grew steadily over the years, expanding its portfolio of therapies. One of its significant breakthroughs came with the introduction of “Avonex,” an interferon beta-1a therapy for relapsing forms of MS, which became one of the leading medications for the condition. It recently developed Leqembi, an Alzheimer’s Drug.

Recent layoffs at Biogen Canada

  • August 2023: Biogen has begin to cut approximately 1,000 jobs, or 11 per cent of its workforce, in a bid to reduce costs.

Severance for Biogen Canada employees

In Canada, non-unionized employees at Biogen Canada 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.

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

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.

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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, your employment contract, 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.

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

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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.

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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.

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