Try to get legal advice
Question & Answer
Can my employer punish me if I act on my rights?If you think your employer has punished you because you asked or did something else about your rights, you may want to get legal advice.
A lawyer can help by giving you advice about:
- what your rights are
- what you should do to protect your rights
- whether you should take legal action against your employer and how to do this
But before you talk to a lawyer, try to collect any documents or information that might help you. There are examples in the Next Step called “Gather evidence”.
The Law Society Referral Service can give you the name of a lawyer or paralegal you can consult with for free, for up to 30 minutes.
JusticeNet is a program for Canadians with low or moderate incomes. It connects people with lawyers and paralegals who charge lower legal fees based on your income.
There are community legal clinics across Ontario that provide free legal services to people with low incomes. Some clinics help people with work-related problems. And if a clinic can't help you, they may be able to refer you to someone in your community who can.
Legal advice about human rights
If you think an employer did something that goes against your human rights, you can contact the Human Rights Legal Support Centre for free legal advice and information.
The Centre helps people file human rights applications with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and, in some cases, represents people who are making claims at the Tribunal.
You can also check out the Centre's online tool Can We Help You? to see if you might be able to make a claim.
