Corus Media Layoffs: What Affected Employees Should Know About Severance and Termination Rights

Corus Entertainment has confirmed another round of layoffs affecting positions across Global News and its talk radio operations, including Global BC, Global National and Toronto’s News 640.

The latest reductions follow earlier workforce cuts across Corus’s news and radio businesses and are another example of the significant restructuring occurring across Canada’s media sector.

For non-unionized employees affected by the Corus Media layoffs, an important question is whether the severance package offered by the company reflects their full legal entitlement.

In many cases, the amount initially offered by an employer may not be the end of the analysis.

Are Corus Media Employees Federally Regulated?

Unlike most employees working in Ontario, employees working in broadcasting are generally governed by the Canada Labour Code rather than Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000.

That distinction can significantly affect an employee’s rights following termination.

The Canada Labour Code establishes minimum requirements relating to notice of termination and statutory severance pay. These amounts are minimum standards, however, and do not necessarily represent an employee’s complete entitlement.

Depending on the employee’s contract and circumstances, a non-unionized employee may be entitled to substantially more compensation following termination.

Employees interested in how these rules apply in another recent broadcasting restructuring can also read Rogers Layoffs 2026: Severance and Unjust Dismissal Rights.

How Much Severance Could a Corus Employee Be Entitled To?

The answer depends heavily on the employee’s employment contract.

Where an enforceable employment agreement does not validly restrict termination entitlements, a non-unionized employee may potentially have a claim for common-law reasonable notice.

Courts assessing reasonable notice consider factors such as:

  • the employee’s age;
  • length of service;
  • position and responsibilities;
  • compensation;
  • specialized skills and experience; and
  • the availability of comparable employment.

For senior, long-service or highly compensated employees, reasonable notice can potentially be measured in months rather than weeks.

Compensation during the applicable notice period may also extend beyond base salary. Depending on the circumstances, bonuses, commissions, pension contributions, benefits, equity compensation and other forms of remuneration may have to be considered.

For additional information, see:

Could the Corus Layoffs Trigger Mass-Termination Rules?

The Canada Labour Code contains additional requirements where a sufficiently large number of employees are terminated as part of a group termination.

Generally, the federal group-termination provisions may apply where 50 or more employees at a single industrial establishment are terminated on the same date or within a four-week period.

Where the requirements are satisfied, additional notice and procedural obligations can arise.

Whether the current Corus layoffs meet the statutory requirements will depend on factors including the number of employees affected, their workplaces and the timing and structure of the terminations. Public reports of layoffs across an organization do not, by themselves, establish that the statutory group-termination threshold has been met.

Employees can learn more about the significance of large-scale layoffs in Caught in a Mass Layoff? You May Be Owed More Than You Think. That article addresses Ontario’s mass-termination regime, which differs from the federal rules applicable to federally regulated employees, but explains why the scale and timing of a restructuring can matter.

Corus Employees May Have Additional Unjust Dismissal Rights

The Canada Labour Code also provides an unjust dismissal regime that can apply to certain non-unionized federally regulated employees.

Eligible employees with at least 12 months of continuous service may have the ability to challenge an unjust dismissal under the Code. Importantly, an unjust dismissal complaint is generally subject to a 90-day deadline following dismissal.

This can provide federally regulated employees with remedies that differ significantly from those ordinarily available to provincially regulated employees.

Employees affected by the Corus layoffs should therefore consider not only the amount of severance offered, but also whether additional statutory remedies may be available.

Before Signing a Corus Severance Package

Employees receiving a termination package from Corus should carefully review the offer before signing a release.

Important documents to preserve and review include:

  • the employment agreement and any amendments;
  • the termination letter and severance offer;
  • bonus, commission or incentive compensation plans;
  • pension and benefits information;
  • recent compensation records; and
  • any release the employee has been asked to sign.

A restructuring, redundancy or elimination of a position does not eliminate an employee’s termination rights.

Similarly, a severance package prepared as part of a broader workforce reduction does not necessarily reflect what an individual employee is legally entitled to receive.

Employees who have recently been terminated may also wish to review Just Been Laid Off? Do These 5 Things Before You Sign Anything.

Affected by the Corus Media Layoffs? Speak With an Employment Lawyer

Non-unionized employees affected by the Corus Media, Global News or Corus radio layoffs may have rights under the Canada Labour Code, their employment agreements and the common law.

Before accepting a severance package or signing a release, employees should understand whether the offer properly accounts for their notice and severance entitlements, salary, bonuses, benefits, pension contributions and other compensation.

Pelsmakher Law advises employees across Canada on severance packages, wrongful dismissal and federally regulated employment matters.

Employees affected by the Corus layoffs can contact Pelsmakher Law to arrange a consultation and have their termination package and employment agreement reviewed.

For more information about employee-side employment law services, visit For Employees or the firm’s Wrongful Dismissal page.

Telephone: (647) 992-0296 Email: info@pelslaw.ca