Think about your options

You can make a claim to the Ministry of Labour if you were fired because you did something that the Employment Standards Act (ESA) says you had a right to do.

You can make a complaint to the Ontario Labour Relations Board if you were fired for a reason that goes against:

• your right to health and safety at work
• your rights under laws to protect the environment

You can make a human rights claim at the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal if you were fired for a reason that goes against your human rights.

If the Ministry of Labour, Ontario Labour Relations Board, or Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario decide that your employer broke the law, they can order your employer to give you your job back and pay you for:

• harm done to you because your employer didn’t respect your rights
• costs you had because of what your employer did

But they rarely order an employer to give you back your job.

Costs can include money for:

• wages you would have earned if you hadn’t been fired
• expenses you had because you were looking for a job