Reference Check Yo' Self! Ontario Court Dismisses Defamation Claim Against Former Employer For A Negative Reference

Personal reference checks: that typical last step in the application process that can make or break you.  For one economist, it broke him and his chances at landing a job in the Yukon Territory. 

Adam Papp worked for Stokes Economic Consulting, a private economic forecasting company he joined in 2011.  It was Papp's first job and he was hired to work as an economist preparing forecasts regarding the province of Ontario.  After a relatively brief tenure with the company, it had to let him go for cost-cutting reasons.  Papp was not terminated for just cause, but his interpersonal difficulties impacted the decision to let him go.  Nonetheless, Ernest Stokes, the company's founder and president, agreed to be a reference for him as he sought future employment.