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ARTICLE · 12 APRIL 2013

British Columbia Employment Law Overview

DLA Piper
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A brief overview of the implications of ending an employment relationship in British Columbia.

CanadaEmployment and HR
Richard Press
Richard Press
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In this article we provide a brief overview of the implications of ending an employment relationship in British Columbia.

An employer may end an employment relationship: [a] with just cause, or [b] with working notice (or pay in lieu of notice).

Just Cause

Just cause is misconduct which goes to the heart of the employment relationship. An employer who has just cause to end the employment relationship may do so without providing the employee any notice or severance pay. Examples of misconduct that may constitute just cause include:

[a] theft;

[b] a serious act of dishonesty;

[c] a serious breach of a fiduciary duty;

[d] a conflict of interest;

[e] assault; or

[f] sexual harassment.

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