Archives: Glossary terms

application

A way to start a case at a court or tribunal, or to ask a court or tribunal to make a decision about a dispute. For example, if a landlord wants a tenant to move out and the tenant does not move, the landlord can make an application to the Landlord and Tenant Board.

arbitration

Arbitration is an alternative dispute resolution process where partners meet with a neutral person, called an arbitrator, to solve their issues without going to court. An arbitrator is usually a lawyer. A non-lawyer can also be an arbitrator if they have special family law training. If you and your partner cannot reach an agreement,

wages

The Employment Standards Act says that wages include your regular salary, vacation pay, commissions, overtime, holiday pay, allowances for room and board, and termination pay. 
They don’t include tips, employer contributions to a benefit plan, payments from a benefit plan, or expenses that an employer pays for, such as travel.

plaintiff

If you sue someone in court, you are called the plaintiff. The person you are suing is called the defendant.

premium pay

When you’re paid premium pay, you get 1 1/2 times your regular rate of pay. People often call this “time and a half”. The rules about public holidays give some workers the right to get premium pay when they work on a holiday.

Record of Employment

The Record of Employment is a form that your employer must fill out every time you experience an interruption of earnings. The Record of Employment has information like how long you worked for your employer, how many hours you worked, and how much money you earned. Your employer has to choose from a list of reasons why you stopped working or stopped being paid.

record suspension

A record suspension used to be called a pardon. If you have a criminal record, you may be able to apply to the Parole Board of Canada for a record suspension. If you get a record suspension, your criminal record is not erased. But it is set aside and you can say you don’t have one.

severance pay

Severance pay is not the same as termination pay or pay in lieu of notice. The Employment Standards Act gives some people the right to severance pay when they lose their jobs.
You get severance pay only if you’ve worked at least 5 years for your employer and:

your employer pays wages of at least $2.5 million a year, or
at least 50 people will be losing their jobs within a 6-month period because the business is being cut back.

Social Insurance Number

A Social Insurance Number (SIN) is a 9-digit number that you need to work in Canada or to use government programs and get benefits.

T4 statement

A T4 statement is an information slip prepared by your employer with information you need to complete your annual income tax return. It lists things like wages your employer paid you, and how much they took from your pay for Employment Insurance, income tax, and Canada Pension Plan.

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