Ontario Severance

Re S.

1930 CanLII 775 (ON SCAD)Court of Appeal for OntarioDecided Employment standards

Bankruptcy: Truck Driver Independent Contractor Status

Summary

This is a Court of Appeal decision regarding a claim for preferential status in bankruptcy proceedings under section 121(3) of the Bankruptcy Act. The court determined whether a truck driver who supplied his own vehicle was an employee ('labourer' or 'workman') or an independent contractor. The court held that the claimant was an independent contractor but required an apportionment of compensation to separate the labour component from the truck rental costs.

Award

Claimant entitled to preferential status only for the labour component of compensation; Registrar to determine division if parties cannot agree

Key Factors

  • independent contractor
  • preferential claims
  • Bankruptcy Act
  • apportionment of compensation
  • labourer or workman

Related Cases

P. v. Zenova Group PLC

2026 ONCA 549 (CanLII) · 2026-07-29

P. v. Zenova: Employment Status & Jurisdiction Appeal

This is an appeal from a motion judge's decision regarding employment status and jurisdiction. The Court of Appeal found that the appellant was an employee under the Employment Standards Act, 2000, rendering the forum selection clause void, and established that Ontario had jurisdiction over the dispute.

2469695 Ontario Inc. v. M.

2025 ONSC 5237 (CanLII) · 2025-09-17

Judicial Review: Unpaid Wages & Employment Status

This is a judicial review of an Ontario Labour Relations Board decision that upheld orders for unpaid wages issued by an employment standards officer. The Divisional Court applied the Vavilov framework to determine whether the Board's decision regarding the respondents' employment status was reasonable, assessing the Board's reliance on documentary evidence and whether procedural fairness was breached despite allegations of witness coaching.

C. v. Medcan Health Management Inc.

2025 ONSC 2902 (CanLII) · 2025-05-14

ESA Class Action: Vacation & Holiday Pay Compliance

This is a class action proceeding addressing whether the defendant maintained a reasonable system to ensure proper payment of statutory vacation and public holiday pay under the Employment Standards Act, 2000. The court is determining common issues related to ESA compliance, breach of employment contracts, and the scope of discovery and document production relevant to these statutory obligations.

D. v. Transasian Fine Cars Ltd.

2025 ONSC 7382 (CanLII) · 2025-03-25

ESA Termination & Severance: Frustration of Contract

This is an interlocutory application concerning the calculation of termination pay and severance pay under the Employment Standards Act, 2000, following a frustration of contract due to disability. The court addressed whether 'regular wages' for these statutory entitlements should be based on pre-injury earnings or the accommodated reduced-rate earnings from the last 12 weeks worked. The application was dismissed, with the court applying a plain reading of the statute and precedent from Hoekstra v. Rehability to calculate payments based on the last 12 weeks worked.

In the Matter of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and a Plan of Compromise or Arrangement of 14487893 Canada Inc.

2024 ONSC 5220 (CanLII) · 2024-09-20

A contractual dispute involving the interpretation of insurance exclusion clauses and the Employment Standards Act.

More Ontario employment decisions from before 1950

This summary was written by AI from the published decision and its headnote. It is not an official version of the decision; read the full text on CanLII before relying on it. This is legal information, not legal advice. Ontario Severance is an educational tool. If you are facing a serious employment law matter, consult with a qualified employment lawyer in Ontario.