How to Hire an Employment Lawyer in Calgary
The severance figure in your Calgary package is usually the legal minimum, not what you're actually owed. The gap worth real money, the provincial-federal fork, and how to hire.
When a Calgary job ends, you're usually handed a package and a Record of Employment that look official, and it's natural to assume that number is what you're owed. Most of the time it's only the legal floor. The real money question in a wrongful-dismissal case is the gap between that minimum and what the law actually entitles you to, which is often much more. This guide covers that gap, the one question that decides which rules even apply to you, and how to hire the right lawyer before you sign anything.
The severance in your package is the floor, not the ceiling
Alberta's Employment Standards Code sets a minimum notice or pay when an employer lets you go without cause, and it scales with your service: nothing in the first 90 days, then one week from 90 days, rising to eight weeks at 10 or more years, with no separate statutory severance on top. That's the floor, and employers often present it as the whole story.
It isn't, and the Alberta government says so directly: a terminated employee may be entitled to more than the minimum, "determined under common law and not required under the Employment Standards Code." A non-union employee dismissed without cause is usually owed reasonable notice at common law, often several months of pay depending on age, length of service, position, and how hard it will be to find similar work, unless a valid written contract lawfully limits it. Closing that gap is the whole point of most Calgary wrongful-dismissal cases, which is why it's worth having a lawyer read your offer before you accept it.
Provincial or federal? Sort this out first
Before anything else, figure out which law governs your job, because it changes your rights entirely. Most Alberta workers fall under the provincial Employment Standards Code. But federally regulated workers aren't covered by it, and fall under the Canada Labour Code instead, and that group includes banks, pipelines, airlines, telecommunications, radio and TV broadcasting, and trucking, rail, or bus lines that cross provincial borders. Calgary has a lot of those employers.
The difference is significant. A non-managerial, non-union federal employee with at least 12 months of service can file an unjust-dismissal complaint within 90 days, and an adjudicator can order the employer to pay lost income or even reinstate them. Getting your job back is generally not on the table for provincially regulated Alberta workers, who instead pursue the Code minimum through an Employment Standards complaint, or common-law severance through a civil suit. So the first thing to tell a lawyer is what your employer does, because it decides which road you're on.
When a "temporary" layoff becomes a firing
Calgary runs on energy, and energy runs in cycles. Alberta's oil and gas workforce fell from roughly 169,900 in 2013 to 125,200 in 2020 before partly recovering, and downturns bring layoff waves concentrated in the city's head offices. In a slump an employer can impose a temporary layoff, but not forever. Under the Employment Standards Code the limit is 90 days within a 120-day period, and if you haven't been recalled by the 91st day you're treated as terminated that day and owed termination pay if you qualify. A layoff that keeps getting extended can quietly turn into a firing that entitles you to a payout, so it's worth checking the calendar rather than just waiting for the call back.
Fired for who you are? That's a separate track
If you were let go because of a protected characteristic such as disability, age, gender, race, or family status, that's a human rights matter, and it runs through the Alberta Human Rights Commission on a free complaint process with a one-year filing deadline. It's separate from a wrongful-dismissal suit, and you can have both at once, but they go to different places, so raise it with a lawyer early if it might apply.
How to hire, and where a claim goes
A wrongful-dismissal claim is a civil lawsuit, not an Employment Standards complaint. The Alberta Court of Justice hears claims up to $100,000 and the Court of King's Bench takes larger ones, and both sit at the Calgary Courts Centre, 601 5th Street SW. When you call a firm, ask whether your job is provincially or federally regulated, what reasonable notice looks like for someone in your role and years of service, and how they charge, since many employment lawyers offer a free first consultation and will handle a demand letter or negotiation for a flat fee or a percentage. One more Calgary-specific point: if your pay came partly as bonus, stock, or other variable compensation, make sure that's counted in any severance figure. Above all, don't sign the release your employer gave you before you get advice. You can browse the 155 employment and labour law firms in our Calgary directory as of October 2026 and shortlist a few.
Employment & Labour Law firms in Calgary Region
Aarbo Fuldauer LLP is a Calgary law firm based in Kensington Village that has provided legal services to individuals and businesses for over 20 years. Its lawyers handle family law, real estate, wills and estates, civ…
Family Law
Real Estate Law
Wills, Estates & Trusts
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Admiral Law is a Calgary firm providing ongoing transactional and operational legal support to private companies and their owners, along with referral-based real estate work. Its lawyers focus on corporate and commerc…
Business & Corporate Law
Employment & Labour LawReal Estate Law
Affinity Law is a multi-practice firm serving clients in Ontario and Alberta, with lawyers handling corporate and commercial matters, real estate, employment law, family law, immigration, mediation, and personal injur…
Real Estate LawEmployment & Labour LawFamily Law
Immigration Law
ALO LAW is a Calgary law firm offering real estate, corporate and commercial, tax and estate planning, labour law, family law, and immigration services to individuals, charities, businesses and organizations.
Real Estate LawBusiness & Corporate LawEmployment & Labour LawFamily Law
Ardent Law Group is a Calgary-based firm offering immigration, corporate and business, real estate, family, employment and wills and estates services. It is led by a Barrister and Solicitor who is also a Regulated Can…
Immigration LawBusiness & Corporate LawReal Estate LawFamily Law
Aryan Sadat is a law practice with a lawyer based in Calgary who also practices in Toronto. The practice covers personal injury, civil litigation, immigration law, criminal law, corporate law, family law, real estate …
Personal InjuryCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionImmigration Law
Criminal DefenceSee all 106 employment & labour law firms in Calgary Region →
Frequently asked questions
How much severance am I owed if I'm let go in Calgary?
The Employment Standards Code minimum runs from one week up to eight weeks of notice or pay based on your length of service, but that's only the floor. A non-union employee dismissed without cause is usually owed more as common-law reasonable notice, often several months, unless a valid contract limits it. A lawyer can estimate the range for your situation.
Should I sign the release my employer gave me?
Get advice first. A severance offer is often built on the legal minimum, and signing a release usually means you're giving up your right to claim the larger common-law amount you may be owed. Having an employment lawyer review the offer before you sign is the step that matters most.
Can I get my job back if I'm fired in Calgary?
You usually can't if your job is provincially regulated, where the remedy is money rather than reinstatement. Federally regulated employees, such as those at banks, airlines, or pipelines, can file an unjust-dismissal complaint under the Canada Labour Code, and an adjudicator there can order reinstatement. Which rules apply depends on what your employer does.
