Canada Goose employees let go through email: Employment lawyer with Global News

Interview Summary

Canada Goose has announced yet another round of layoffs. The announcement for many was made through email correspondence. While most terminations pre-pandemic would occur in person, many companies have decided to shift to virtual terminations. Are employers obligated to let employees go in a specific manner? What options, if any, do employees have to pursue rights and entitlements after a layoff?

Lior Samfiru, an Ontario employment lawyer and co-founding Partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, spoke with Global News on the layoffs and employee rights.

Interview Notes

• Rise of email terminations: Samfiru commented on the increasing frequency of virtual terminations and stated, “With the rise of remote work, email pink slips are becoming increasingly common.” Samfiru went on to explain that email terminations are not illegal but inadvisable.
• Disadvantages of virtual layoffs: Communication after termination is of the utmost importance, Samfiru emphasized. “Employers must inform employees of their termination in a timely fashion but a digital-first email process means some communication can slip through the cracks, going unopened because it was missed, undelivered or ended up in a spam folder, ” said Samfiru. “The timing of when someone received that notice of termination may be very important.”
• Seeking legal counsel: Samfiru divulged that many Canada Goose employees had already sought legal advice from his firm. “When an employer terminates by email, it potentially exposes them to legal action because they’re essentially driving their employees to a lawyer,” Samfiru stated.

Related Resources

For further insights and discussions related to layoffs explore the following resources:

• Mass layoffs in Ontario and rights to severance
• Layoffs in Canada