Archives: Glossary terms

An independent agency set up by the Ontario government to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. It is similar to a court, but less formal. It has “members” who are like judges and make decisions after hearing both sides.

Usually means a written tenancy agreement, often one for a fixed term.

A monthly tenancy is a rental agreement that does not have a fixed term and where the tenant pays rent each month. It is sometimes called a month-to-month tenancy. This is the most common kind of periodic tenancy. It automatically renews every month unless the landlord or the tenant takes legal steps to end it.

A month-to-month tenancy is a rental agreement that does not have a fixed term and where the tenant pays rent each month. It is sometimes called a monthly tenancy. This is the most common kind of periodic tenancy. It automatically renews every month unless the landlord or the tenant takes legal steps to end it.

The decision of a court or tribunal. Usually an order tells someone they must do something. For example, an order of the Landlord and Tenant Board could say a tenant must move out by a certain date, or it might say that a landlord must repair something or lower the rent.

When your employer punishes you for trying to use your legal rights, this is called a reprisal. It’s against the law for an employer to do this. An employer might punish you by:

suspending you, 
changing your work, 
changing your shifts or reducing your hours, or 
giving you a warning or threatening you.

In mediation, a worker and an employer meet with someone called a mediator. The mediator tries to help them find a solution that they agree on. The mediator is neutral, which means they don’t take the side of the worker or the employer.
If the mediation process works, the worker and the employer make an agreement.

Shared custody, also called shared care, is when children live at least 40% of the time with each parent. Shared custody may affect how much child support is paid.

Constructive dismissal happens when your employer makes a fundamental change to your work situation and you don’t agree or accept it. Because of this, your work or your conditions at work change so much that it’s like you’ve been fired.

You commit a crime when you break a federal law. Federal laws apply in all Canadian provinces and territories. The main federal law is the Criminal Code. Things like theft and assault are crimes in the Criminal Code.