Canadian contract and employment law analysis. Real cases, real consequences, clear language.
For years, employers relied on 'active employment' clauses in bonus plans to deny terminated employees their incentive compensation during the notice period. The Ontario Court of Appeal's decision in Paquette v. TeraGo Networks changed the game.
Priya Sharma, Contracts & Policy Writer
When an employer terminates a fixed-term contract early, they don't owe reasonable notice — they owe the entire remaining value of the contract. No mitigation. No Bardal factors. Just a cheque for every dollar the employee would have earned.
James Faulkner, Tax & Employment Writer
After Waksdale v. Swegon, a single ESA-non-compliant clause can blow up your entire termination scheme. Most employment contracts in Ontario are walking time bombs.
Ajay Krishnan, Founder, blackline.legal
Most employees owe a duty of loyalty to their employer. Some owe more — a fiduciary duty that restricts what they can do during and after employment. If you hold a senior role, you may be a fiduciary without knowing it.
David Chen, Senior Legal Writer
Ontario banned non-competes for most employees in 2021. Federal amendments followed in 2023. But the story is more complicated than the headlines suggest — C-suite executives, business sellers, non-solicitation clauses, and confidentiality agreements are all very much alive.
Priya Sharma, Contracts & Policy Writer
Ontario banned non-compete clauses, but non-solicitation clauses remain alive and enforceable — when properly drafted. Understanding the difference between the two, and what makes a non-solicitation clause survive judicial scrutiny, is essential for anyone changing jobs.
Priya Sharma, Contracts & Policy Writer
Your employment contract does not say anything about reasonable notice, good faith, or a safe workplace. The law implies those terms anyway. Understanding implied terms is understanding the rights your employer never told you about.
Priya Sharma, Contracts & Policy Writer
A garden leave clause keeps you employed — and paid — while preventing you from working for a competitor. It is the elegant cousin of the non-compete, and increasingly common in Canadian employment agreements.
David Chen, Senior Legal Writer
You live in British Columbia. Your employer is headquartered in Ontario. You report to a manager in Alberta. When your employment relationship breaks down, whose laws apply? The answer is less clear than you think.
David Chen, Senior Legal Writer
Most employees sign employment agreements without reading them. Most employers draft them without understanding them. Both sides pay for that later. Here is what every clause actually does — and what happens when it fails.
Priya Sharma, Contracts & Policy Writer