Agreement to Provide Greater of Set Amount and ESA Minimums Legally Binding: ONCA

You know what’s fun? Trying to make sense of whether the court is going to give effect to a contractual termination clause. And, in the case of Amberber v. IBM Canada Ltd., 2018 ONCA 571, the Court of Appeal for Ontario was once again asked to do just that.

As set out by Justice Douglas K. Gray, sitting ad hoc, put it in the court’s introductory words to its reasons for decision:

The issue in this case is the enforceability of a termination clause in a written contract of employment. On a motion for summary judgment brought by the employer, Justice Hebner [Justice Pamela L. Hebner of the Superior Court of Justice] held that the termination clause was ambiguous, and did not clearly set out an intention to deprive the respondent of his entitlement to damages at common law. She held the clause to be unenforceable and dismissed the motion.

The employer, IBM, was successful on appeal.

Dead Employee Still Entitled to Severance: Judge

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If an employee dies due to a terminal illness (e.g. cancer), is his estate entitled to severance pay?

In the case of Estate of Cristian Drimba v Dick Engineering Inc., 2015 ONSC 2843 (CanLII), the Honourable Justice Douglas K. Gray of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice held that it is.

Death may put to an end many things, but an employee’s entitlement to severance pay would appear to not be one of them.