Metro distribution centre in Ottawa closing: Employment lawyer on employee rights with CTV News

Interview Summary

Metro has announced it will be closing its distribution centre in Ottawa on May 11th. This closure will result in many of its employees losing employment and lead to questions regarding employer obligations. What are employee rights if their place of employment shuts down? Are employers obligated to offer severance pay or other alternatives?

Alex Lucifero, an Ontario employment lawyer and Partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP joined CTV News Ottawa to discuss the rights of employees and employer obligations when a business shuts down.

Interview Notes

• Forced to relocate by employers: “Employers cannot force employees to move to a new location,” Lucifero explained. If the move is not considered substantive, employers may be able to suggest a relocation. Employees would be able to refuse a major change to their work environment and would still be entitled to severance pay.
• Layoffs due to a business closure: Regardless of a business ceasing operations, employees are still owed severance pay. “They are not owed any less severance because the business is closing, even if that reason is due to financial difficulties.” Lucifero went on to explain that severance can be significant depending on the employee as it is based on the age of an employee, their years of service and position.

Related Resources

For further insights and discussions related to business closures and severance explore the following resources:

• Severance pay and business closures