Many employers assume equity plans play by different rules.
Different from employment contracts.
Different from termination clauses.
Different from Employment Standards Act (“ESA”) analysis.
A recent Ontario decision suggests otherwise, and the implications are significant for employers who rely on equity‑based compensation.
In Liggett v. Veeva Software Systems, Inc. and Veeva Systems Inc.
Workforce planning has always been a balancing act. Employers move between hiring, restructuring, and supporting employees through personal and medical challenges. The latest ESA updates covering layoffs, illness leave, and job seeking time during mass terminations give employees stronger stability while asking employers to be more structured during mass terminations
Ontario’s new extended temporary layoff rules give employers more time
Remote work settled into Canadian workplaces long ago, yet many employers still operate as though the shift was temporary. The result? Quiet risks, unclear expectations, and legal obligations hiding beneath everyday workflows.
Remote work isn’t dangerous on its own; unstructured remote work is.
The most common misstep happens before employers even realize it: allowing an
Employment contracts shouldn’t be considered “set it and forget it” documents. With what feels like almost constantly evolving case law, employers need to keep contracts up to date or risk having key provisions thrown out by a court.
If a termination clause is found to be invalid, the promises in your contract (most typically limiting
The Ontario Superior Court recently reminded employers that employment agreements aren’t optional – they’re enforceable.
In Timmins v. Artisan Cells, 2025 CanLII 2387, the employer ignored its own termination provisions and tried to use severance as leverage for a release. It backfired big time.Continue Reading Don’t Use Severance as Leverage: Courts are Not Impressed
Many employers in Ontario are becoming aware, whether through news articles, or painful and costly first-hand experiences, that employees can be owed significant entitlements upon termination.
As we have explored in more detail in our previous blog posts, employers may owe terminated employees much more than was promised in the employment contract if a court determines that the contract’s termination clause isn’t legal. Continue Reading Please Come Back! Strategies for Navigating Termination Demands
As lawyers who practice for both employers and employees, we know that terminations are rarely pleasant for anyone involved.
After all, as the Courts have acknowledged, employment is an essential component of identity, self-worth and emotional well-being. More recent Court rulings have reminded us that the manner in which employment can be terminated is equally