Lior Samfiru

Lior’s contributions to the field extend beyond the courtroom.

He is the creator of the Pocket Employment Lawyer and Severance Pay Calculator, innovative online tools that empowers Canadians to understand and enforce their employment rights. These resources reflect Lior’s commitment to accessibility and justice, providing individuals with the knowledge they need to seek fair treatment and compensation.

Lior Samfiru is a leading legal voice, bringing crucial employment law issues to the forefront through several widely popular shows:

• Employment Law Show on TV: Airing on Global Television and CTV, this show addresses the most pressing employment law issues, debunking common myths and empowering viewers with essential knowledge about their workplace rights. Each episode highlights topics that are often misunderstood, helping employees and employers navigate the complex legal landscape with confidence

Watch Episodes

• Ask a Lawyer on CP24: Every Wednesday night, Lior visits CP24 to provide invaluable insights into employment rights and how to enforce them. This engaging show reaches millions of viewers across the GTA, offering practical advice and expert analysis on a wide range of employment issues.

WATCH CP24

• Employment Law Show on Radio: Since its debut in 2013, this radio program has become a trusted source of information for listeners across Canada. Broadcast on major stations like Newstalk 1010 and 640 Toronto, the show has fielded thousands of listener questions, addressing real-life employment law challenges and providing clear, actionable solutions.

LISTEN: ONTARIO • LISTEN: WESTERN CANADA

Lior Samfiru is a prominent figure in the media, frequently sought after for his expertise in Canadian employment law. His insights and commentary have been featured in numerous high-profile outlets locally and internationally, making him a trusted voice on legal issues nationwide:

• The Canadian Press
• CBC News
• Global News
• CTV
• CP24
• CityNews
• The Toronto Star
• National Post
• Globe and Mail
• Huffington Post
• Vice News
• Law Times
• Canadian HR Reporter
• 680 News
• Newstalk 1010
• 640 Toronto
• Q107
• Boom 97.3
• 980 CKNW
• Newstalk 580 CFRA
• 770 CHQR
• 630 CHED
• AM900 CHML
• Newstalk 610 CKTB
• 570 News
• Zoomer Radio AM740
• And more

2021

• Canadian Press interview on mass terminations for refusing to vaccinate
• Ontario class-action against Uber certified in August
• Ontario’s IDEL extended fourth time
• Non-compete clauses banned by Ontario government
• Samfiru Tumarkin LLP files wrongful dismissal claim against HBC
• Canadian Press interview about HBC laying off hundreds of workers
• Lior Samfiru talks tattleware and employee rights with the CBC
• Severance packages for Air Canada employees amid layoffs (Toronto Star)

2020

• Supreme Court of Canada rules that the argument forming the basis of the Uber class-action can be argued in Ontario, rather than the Netherlands
• Countless interviews about COVID-19 and the coronavirus pandemic, and the ongoing impact on employees, employers and Canadian workplaces
• Canadian Press interview about returning to work after the COVID-19 lockdown
• Legal implications of Whole Foods’ poppy ban
• Temporary layoffs for WestJet employees and severance packages
• An employer’s ability to use tracking technology when you work at home
• HBC restores severance pay for fired workers after Lior Samfiru speaks out
• Lior comments on Ontario’s IDEL for people laid off due to COVID-19
• Steve Nash Fitness laying people off due to the pandemic
• Female employee at car dealership fired over dress code
• U-Haul refusing to hire people who smoke (radio interview)
• Rights for working parents during teacher strike in Ontario

2019

• Don Cherry fired after controversial comments about immigrants
• Ontario Court of Appeal says Uber class-action can be heard in Canada, not Netherlands (Canadian Press and Wall Street Journal interviews)
• Jody Wilson-Raybould records conversation with privy council clerk
• McDonald’s fires CEO after consensual relationship with coworker
• Vegan firefighter files human rights complaint over lack of proper food on the job
• Discriminatory dress code at the Bikini Bistro
• CN Rail Strike and the government’s ability to bring it to an end
• Firing an employee for texting at work (Global News Radio)
• Payless Shoes goes under leaving workers without severance
• OPP fires deputy commissioner Brad Blair

2018

• Legalization of marijuana in Canada and potential impact on workplaces (Law Times)
• Lindsey Shepherd’s “utter nonsense” lawsuit against Wilfrid Laurier University
• Hydro One CEO walks away from $10 million severance package
• Skip The Dishes driver launches lawsuit over employee misclassification
• Companies want to test employees for presence of pot
• Firefighters fired after having sex in chief’s office
• Butt dial costs Georgia man his job

2017

• Firm launches class-action lawsuit against Uber, on the matter of employee misclassification
• Dozens of interviews (CBC News, Globe and Mail, Global News Radio, 680 News, and Bell Talk Radio) about the collapse of Sears, severance for employees, and the need for a “Sears Act” for future bankruptcies
• CIBC made workers train their replacements before being terminated (TV and radio interviews)
• CTV interview about ban on high heels in the workplace
• Bell employees complain about high-pressure sales in CBC investigation
• Bus driver refuses to work due to pro-life advertisement on her bus
• East Side Mario’s manager demands waitress wear a bra at work
• CBS executive fired after post about Las Vegas shooting
• Woman fired after giving President Donald Trump the middle finger
• Matt Lauer fired for inappropriate conduct at work (CTV News)

2015

• Severance packages for Future Shop employees after the chain closed down. He was interviewed by CTV News, 640 Toronto, and Global News
• Interviews on radio about a Hydro One employee acting inappropriately during a TV broadcast

2014

• Numerous interviews about Jian Ghomeshi’s conduct at CBC and outside the workplace, including Yahoo! News and Global News Radio

2013

• Claim against the Ministry of Labour in Ontario after two manufacturing employees were given bad advice about their severance entitlements. Interviews in the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, and Global News Radio

2022

• Michele Romanow’s Clearco lays off quarter of staff, cites e-commerce uncertainty
• Ontario extends paid IDEL until March 2023: Know your rights
• IDEL layoffs have ended in Ontario: Here’s what you should know
• Boomer exodus creating employee-favoured job market: Know your rights
• Shopify laying off 10% of workers, misjudged e-commerce growth
• Work from home a thing of the past, suggests recent poll
• Severance Pay in a Recession
• Employee rights when dealing with service provider outages
• Sikh security guards dismissed over facial hair, reinstated by the City of Toronto
• London hospital workers file $700K in wrongful dismissal suits over vaccine policy
• Do I get severance if I quit?

2021

• Who is considered an essential worker in Canada?
• COVID-19: Toronto, Peel School Closures and Rights for Working Parents
• Vernon’s petition to prevent re-hiring of firefighter goes up in flames
• Best Buy Canada layoffs and severance
• Canadian Tire closing all National Sports stores to reduce overlap
• Bell Media severance after jobs cut across Canada in February 2021
• Cenovus Energy laying off 2,100 employees
• 5 Important Tips on How to Refuse a Layoff
• Governor General Julie Payette’s Resignation After Harassment
• Aurora Cannabis layoffs after deal with Great North

2020

• Working From Home during COVID-19: The New Normal
• Foodora Closure: Severance Pay for Canadian Workers
• More aid needed for workers shut out of federal COVID-19 support
• Air Canada Layoffs and Severance Pay
• Indigo Layoffs and Severance Pay
• Leon’s Layoffs and Severance Pay
• COVID-19 Employment Insurance Benefits: The Facts
• Foodora couriers are dependent contractors, can unionize
• Pier 1 Imports Closure and Severance Pay
• Carlton Cards, Papyrus Stores Closing – Severance Rights
• Ontario Break Times: Your Rights
• WestJet Layoffs and Severance Pay

2019

• Lowe’s Closures and Severance Pay
• Torstar Layoffs and Severance Pay Rights
• Canadian National Railway and Severance Pay
• Don Cherry Fired Over Comments About Immigrants

2018

• Lowe’s Closing Canadian Stores – Severance Rights
• Dixie Cup Brampton Plant Closure: Severance Packages
• Manulife Job Cuts – Crucial Severance Facts
• Lindsay Shepherd $3.6M Lawsuit is ‘Utter Nonsense’
• Racist Denny’s Rant Not Likely Termination ‘For Cause’
• Layoff vs. Termination: What’s the Difference?
• Ontario Court Decision Favouring Uber Threatens Workplace Rights
• Shaw Communications Buyout Packages – Your Severance Rights
• Campbell Soup Toronto Closure – Severance Rights
• Amazon HQ2: Will They Play By Ontario’s Rules?
• Hawaii False Alarm: “For Cause” Termination for Employee?
• Tim Hortons Breaks and Benefits Cut – Your Employee Rights

2017

• Postmedia and Torstar Layoffs – Severance Packages
• Bill 148 – Fair Workplaces Better Jobs Act 2017
• Sears Canada: We Need a “Sears Act”
• Loblaws Layoffs – Two Important Severance Facts
• Can My Employer: Top 10 Employment Questions
• Construction Worker Fired After Flying Confederate Flag
• Fixed-Term Contracts: Pros and Cons
• Severance for Salespeople
• The Long-Term Pain of “Paying Under the Table”
• How to navigate the Ministry of Labour claim process: Employees

2016

• Poor Conduct & Terminations: What’s Legal?
• Termination negotiations: Don’t give in to pressure
• Social Media and the Workplace
• Do construction workers get severance pay in Ontario?
• Choosing the Best Employment Lawyer
• Common Misconceptions About Severance Pay
• Court Awards 37 Months’ Pay as Damages for Termination
• Worker Sues For 11,570 Hours of Unpaid Overtime
• McDonald’s Manager Constructively Dismissed, Not “Lovin’ It”
• Fired over ‘fat’: Did Addition Elle make the right call?
• Ontario Human Rights Tribunal: Miscarriage is a Disability
• Employee Privacy: Company Policy Not A License to Intrude
• 7 biggest mistakes employers make
• Re-hired and fired by a previous employer? Get what you’re owed
• Profanity in the Workplace and Termination
• Can a job ad really be discriminatory?
• If HR Tells You To ‘Suck It Up’, Here’s What You Should Do
• Employee fired over a beer at lunch
• Bereavement entitlements if you lose a child
• Can doctors be fired over off-duty misconduct?

2015

• Employers who don’t treat staff well, beware!
• Times are Tough, Even Judges Are Taking Notice
• Lost Your Job? Here Is What You Must Know

2014

• Keep A Record Of What’s “On The Record”
• Protect Your Business Against Unfair Competition From Former Employees
• Holiday Leave For Religious Holidays
• Navigating Your Way through an Employment Agreement
• Thinking Ahead: Planning Employee Social Events Advice for Employers

In addition to his legal practice, Lior is a co-author of “Termination of Employment,” a definitive guide on wrongful dismissal that serves as an essential resource for professionals navigating employment law. His writings and lectures on various labour law topics further establish him as a thought leader and educator.

Lior Samfiru has written extensively on employment and labour law, contributing columns to various publications across Canada. His expertise is showcased in his weekly articles for GlobalNews.ca, where he provides clear, actionable insights on critical legal issues. Lior’s lectures and writings are valuable resources for both legal professionals and the general public, helping to demystify complex employment law topics.

Lior Samfiru has enhanced his expertise with a prestigious program in negotiation and leadership at Harvard Law School.

He has also imparted his knowledge to future legal professionals by teaching employment law courses at Loyalist College.