Metro: Severance Packages
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Metro Inc. is a Canadian food and pharmacy retailer founded in 1947 and headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. The company operates a network of more than 950 grocery stores and pharmacies in Ontario and Quebec under various banners, including Metro, Metro Plus, and Food Basics.
In addition to groceries and pharmacy items, Metro also provides services such as online grocery ordering and delivery, catering, and nutrition consultations. Metro is one of the largest grocery chains in Canada, with over 90,000 employees across the country.
Metro offers a variety of job opportunities, including in-store positions such as cashiers, stock clerks, and department managers, as well as positions in the company’s distribution centres and corporate offices.
Since its start as Magasins Lasalle Stores Lteé in 1947, the company has grown to become a major player in the Canadian retail industry. Over the years, Metro has acquired several other grocery chains, including A&P Canada and Super C, and has expanded its presence in the Ontario market.
Recent layoffs at Metro
- March 2024: Metro is closing its produce distribution centre in Ottawa — affecting approximately 41 employees.
- January 2020: The Metro grocery store in Ottawa’s ByWard Market closed on January 18, 2020.
Severance pay for Metro employees
In Canada, non-unionized employees at Metro can get up to 24 months of severance pay when they are fired or laid off from their job.
This includes individuals working full-time, part-time, and hourly in Ontario, Alberta, or B.C.
Severance is the compensation a non-unionized worker in Canada receives from their employer when they are fired without cause.
Even if you are fired for cause, it’s very likely that you are still entitled to full severance pay because employees often don’t meet the conditions necessary for this type of dismissal.
LEARN MORE
• Severance for provincially regulated employees
• Rights to severance during mass layoffs
• Severance entitlements during a recession
Regardless of a company’s grasp on employment law, they are legally required to provide proper compensation following a termination.
This concept applies during challenging economic conditions, downsizing, the closure of a business, or major 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.
- LEARN MORE: Severance pay by company
We have successfully secured much larger amounts for individuals employed across a variety of positions, from entry level jobs to executives.
How to properly calculate severance pay
Employers often incorrectly calculate severance pay. There is a belief that severance pay is one week’s pay, two weeks’ pay, or a week for every year of service an employee has with the company.
For non-unionized employees, the main factors of termination or severance pay include age, length of service, position, bonuses, benefits, and the ability to find new work.
To figure out how much compensation you may be entitled to, use our firm’s Pocket Employment Lawyer.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
• Severance Pay in Ontario
• Alberta severance packages
• Understanding severance in B.C.
• Layoffs in Canada
Don’t sign on the dotted line!
Do not accept any severance offer, termination papers, or exit agreement that Loblaw may provide you with.
Once you sign back these documents, you eliminate your ability to negotiate a fair and proper severance package.
Generally speaking, if an employee doesn’t receive the proper amount of severance pay when they lose their job, it’s possible that they have been wrongfully dismissed.
An employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP can review your situation and explain how much compensation you are legally entitled to.
Talk to an employment lawyer
The knowledgeable 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 lawyers have 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.
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.