SEVERANCE & TERMINATION LAWYER

Honestly, you usually can't tell from the offer alone, and that's by design. The figure most employers lead with is built on the Ontario Employment Standards Act (ESA) minimum, which is a floor, not a ceiling.

What you're actually owed depends on things the letter doesn't mention: your age, tenure and level of seniority, your position, and how realistic it is to find similar work. And if your employment contract isn't enforceable, you may be owed far more than the offer assumes.

In our severance and termination reviews, we evaluate the validity of your employment contract, compare your offer against your common law entitlements and historical precedents, and tell you, in plain terms, whether it's fair or if you should fight for more.

Here's how termination and severance pay actually works in Ontario.
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In most cases, yes, especially if your employment contract isn't enforceable, which many aren't. Many employers extend an opening number expecting most people to accept it and a small number to push back.

A dedicated employment lawyer's involvement changes that math: it signals you understand your entitlements and are prepared to pursue them. If you work with Kompa Law, we handle the negotiation directly to get you what you're owed.
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A tight deadline is almost always a tactic to get you to sign fast.

Employers know most people have never been through this before and aren't sure what their options are, so a short timeline is designed to get you to sign before you've had a chance to ask questions. They want the quick signature. What they don't say out loud is that pulling the offer off the table works against them. A withdrawn offer pushes things toward litigation, which is exactly what a severance package is meant to avoid in the first place.

So the pressure is real, but the threat behind it usually isn't. If the timeline is stressing you out, ask for an extension, and ask early, before the deadline is bearing down on you. It's a routine request, and a reasonable employer will grant it.

And if you don't sign before the time has lapsed, your employer must still provide your minimum entitlements as per Ontario's ESA.

‍Here's what to weigh before you sign anything.

If you've recently been terminated in Belleville, Kingston, Peterborough, Cornwall, Toronto, or surrounding areas, Kompa Law can help.