One of the privileges of being a working woman in British
Columbia is having the option to take leave to give birth and begin
raising a baby. It is assumed and expected that at the end of the
leave, a woman will have the right to return to her original
position of employment. One woman in Ontario, however, is claiming
that one of the country's largest sports conglomerates has
denied her return to work, and now she is bringing a wrongful termination suit against her former
employer.
In February 2016, a 32-year-old human resources employee of
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment ("MLSE") left her
position to take maternity leave. On June 22, she was given notice
by MLSE that her employment was to be terminated at the end of
her scheduled leave in February 2017. The explanation given was
that the position had been restructured out of existence, and was
being replaced with a position that required more senior-level
experience than she possessed.
