Claimant, employed for over 14 years by series of associated companies, was terminated and offered eight weeks' working notice of termination

Abridean International Inc. v. Bidgood | 2017 NSCA 65 | Nova Scotia Court of Appeal

Labour and employment law --- Employment standards legislation — Definitions — Related employer

Claimant, IT specialist, who was employed for over 14 years by series of associated companies, was terminated and offered eight weeks' working notice of termination — Claimant was employed variously as Product Manager, Vice-President and President of software employer A — Employment contract was assigned to employer AI in June 2011; employer O then acquired AI's assets from receiver — AI's President and Director formed company SC — Claimant was named President of SC in July 2013 while being paid by AI — Claimant began being paid by SC in 2014, but employment was eventually terminated in January 2015 — Director's September 2015 order required that companies AI and/or SC and/or O pay claimant pay in lieu of notice, unpaid wages and vacation pay totaling $104,563.95 — Order was upheld by Board on appeal — Employer appealed — Appeal dismissed — Board did not err by failing to consider claimant's reinstatement to his former position as appropriate remedy — Board dealt with issue and employers made it clear they did not want claimant back, and claimant did not wish to return to his job — Board did not err in awarding common law reasonable notice damages — Board did exactly what it was statutorily empowered to do and it was reasonable exercise of its statutory jurisdiction — Board did not err in finding that employment contract between parties was not binding in circumstances because it violated minimum standard established by Labour Relations Code — Assumption of broad remedial powers by Board when awarding claimant 12 months' notice as appropriate amount of damages was reasonable interpretation of its home statute.