Heddle Shipyards investing $107M, creating jobs in St. Catharines

Heddle Shipyards is investing $107 million in its Port Weller Dry Docks projects in St. Catharines. Heddle Shipyards is the largest ship repair and construction company operating on the Great Lakes.

• Job Creation: This investment is expected to create 30 new, well-paying jobs in the region.
• Project Goal: The focus of this investment is on complex Vessel Life Extension (VLE) projects, which aim to substantially prolong the life of marine vessels.
• Government Support: The Ontario government is providing over $3.4 million through the Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competitiveness Stream of Ontario’s Regional Development Program.

Heddle Shipyards’ Plans

Ontario Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli, who made the announcement in Hamilton on Nov. 27, 2023, emphasized the investment’s role in fostering local economic growth and competitiveness.

Heddle Shipyards plans to implement advanced processes, engineering solutions, training programs, and equipment necessary for these projects. This includes on-the-job training for skilled trades, the introduction of automated manufacturing technologies, and the use of 3D scanning.

Regional Development Program in Ontario

Overall, the Regional Development Program in Ontario is investing $140 million in companies like Heddle Shipyards. To date, the program has:

• Allocated over $110 million across more than 100 projects.
• Triggered over $1.2 billion in new investments.
• Created over 2,300 jobs in Ontario.

Carefully review your new employment contract

Before starting a new job with a new employer in Ontario, it’s very likely that you will be asked to sign an employment contract.

However, you shouldn’t accept anything before speaking with an experienced Ontario employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP.

Employment contracts often take away key protections that would otherwise be available to non-unionized workers in the province.

Employers might attempt to limit your severance package to a few weeks’ pay or add a clause that gives them the ability to make significant changes to your job.

SEE ALSO
• Heddle Shipyards Severance Packages
• Severance packages for provincially regulated workers
• Employment Law Show: What to know about changes to your job

WATCH: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains the five things workers need to know about employment contracts on an episode of the Employment Law Show.

It’s important to understand that your boss can’t legally force you to accept a new agreement immediately or a few days after receiving it.

Our firm can review the contract and ensure that your workplace rights are properly protected.

LEARN MORE
• Starting a new job? Here’s how an employment contract could limit your rights
• ’60 days or more’: Is it an enforceable termination clause?
• Can Suncor Energy force me to move from Toronto to Calgary?

You might have to complete a probationary period

In Ontario, employment contracts may contain a “probation clause” that requires non-unionized workers to complete a probationary period when they start working for a new company.

If your employer doesn’t indicate the existence of a probationary period in your agreement, it won’t be considered “valid” or “in effect.”

If you are fired or let go before the probationary period ends, it’s possible that the company could still owe you a severance package. Your entitlements depend on what you agreed to in the employment contract.

However, if you are terminated after a legitimate three-month probationary period, your employer is required to provide you with working notice or pay in lieu of notice (i.e. severance pay).

LEARN MORE
• Employment Law Show: Probationary periods and termination
• Wrongful dismissal in Ontario: Your rights

Severance Pay Considerations

Before accepting a new job in Ontario (or Alberta and B.C.), it’s crucial that you consider future severance possibilities.

While severance can be as much as 24 months’ pay, compensation for non-unionized employees is calculated using a number of factors, including:

• Age
• Position at the company
• Length of service
• Ability to find new work after losing your job

If you quit your current job, you may not be owed severance

Generally, non-unionized workers in Ontario don’t get a severance package if they resign from their position voluntarily to take up employment elsewhere.

Severance is designed to provide employees with financial support while they look for new work after being fired without cause or let go.

However, if you are forced to leave because of unwanted changes to your job, it’s very likely that you could treat it as a constructive dismissal in Ontario.

In this situation, the law allows you to resign and pursue full severance pay.

If you believe that you have been constructively dismissed, don’t quit your job until you speak with an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP.

LEARN MORE
• Rights to severance for federally regulated employees
• Should I negotiate my own severance package in Ontario?

Recruited by another company?

In some cases, non-unionized workers in Ontario leave their current job after being actively recruited by another company.

If your new employer took documented steps to entice you to take up employment with them, this is known as inducement.

In the event that the company decides to terminate you shortly after pulling you away from your previous employer, the inducement should be taken into consideration when determining your severance entitlements.

As soon as you receive a severance offer, don’t sign anything before contacting an experienced Ontario employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP.

We can confirm that the inducement has been properly factored into your severance package and help you secure the compensation you deserve if it isn’t.

SEE ALSO
• Employment Law Show: Facts about the termination process
• Employment Law Show: Things to never do before seeking legal counsel
• Employment Law Show: Situations that trigger legal disputes

Starting a new job? Speak to an employment lawyer

Before signing a new employment contract, have the experienced employment law team at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP review the agreement to make sure your workplace rights are protected.

Our lawyers in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C. have successfully represented tens of thousands of non-unionized individuals on a variety of employment matters.

We can help you better understand the terms of the contract and advise you on how best to navigate the situation.