Hudson’s Bay confirms no severance for former employees: Lior Samfiru with the Toronto Star

Interview Summary

As the news of Hudson’s Bay’s liquidation continues,  and its bid to save six stores, managers and executives have been offered bonuses amounting to $3 million. Thousands of regular HBC employees, however, will still be unable to claim any severance entitlements.

Lior Samfiru, an Ontario employment lawyer and Co-founding Partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP spoke with The Toronto Star on the rights of former Hudson’s Bay employees.

Interview Notes

• Employee rights as an employer files for creditor protection: Lior noted that former employees are in an unfortunate position due to the nature of the retail store’s closure. “While people are usually entitled to severance in normal circumstances, those rules “effectively go out the window” when a company files for creditor protection under the CCAA.”
• Any options for employee entitlements: Lior explained that for long-service employees of HBC, this is a particularly difficult situation. “Employees go from having clear severance rights to hoping for scraps,” said Samfiru.

Related Resources

For further insights and discussions related to mass layoffs and employee rights:

• Layoffs in Canada 2025
• Bankruptcy guide for employees in Canada