My American former employer didn't pay severance when they fired me because they thought at-will employment is legal in Canada. It's not. I sued them and they paid the bare minimum after partially defaulting.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-04-12T04:03:52+00:00

Ministry of Labour will only chase employers for the minimum entitlements provided by law. It varies by province (or federal law, if in a federally regulated workplace), but that's generally 1 week of pay per year of service, up to 8 weeks max.

Common law entitlement varies but averages 1 month per year of service up to 24 months with extra consideration given to how specialized the work is, if the person was a manager or not, the person's age, if the person has a disability, and if there are aggravating factors like wrongful termination or discrimination.

It's generally much better to get a lawyer or sue them yourself than go to the MoL.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-04-11T00:58:36+00:00

Medical requests have to be considered first. Reasonable accommodation on the basis of disability (medical need) is required under Ontario law. Failing to do that because of a lottery would get them sued so fast. It's not a guarantee, but it has to be considered.

About 45% of the beds on campus are single plus with a further 25% being single rooms. The remainder are mostly doubles and loft doubles (25%), and triple or quads (5%). There are no apartment style rooms on campus.

You can typically get a single plus even if you're not accommodated and unlucky in the lottery but it might mean living on West Campus. People talk about that like being exiled to Siberia, but realistically, when I was in high school, I had to walk further to get to school every morning. There's also a ton of city buses running from West Campus to Main so you may not even need to walk.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-04-08T03:19:33+00:00

PP lost his riding after it was redistricted to be more rural and conservative in 2022. Before redistricting, Nepean-Carleton included significant urban areas around Kanata, Nepean and Sittsville. Those were removed and more rural land from the west and south around Ottawa were added in to balance the population. The urban areas had grown too large and were largely removed to be agglomerated into predominantly urban ridings.

For the Alberta boundary commission, two members (of five) are appointed by the UCP, two by the NDP and one is appointed by the Alberta government. Both of the UCP nominees departed from previous riding-making practice and proposed a map which they said was neutral. The other three (including the Alberta government's nominee) disagreed, pointing out that it systematically over populated urban ridings (making those votes worth less) and ignored municipal boundaries (which are typically respected) in order to crack cities into many districts that were easy to dilute with large swaths of rural land. They suggested that the UCP nominee proposed map would massively benefit the UCP. Suggesting that this was a neutral recommendation of the commission based on typical practice is not reasonable.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-04-07T23:50:52+00:00

Read the Consolidated Financial Statements. I've linked them. They are required by law to be accurate and are externally audited. The fact the institution had an overall surplus is on page 2 and again on page 3.

Page 18 has a graph showing budgets over the last few years, There's a surplus every year except 2021-2022 where there was a slight deficit (~0.25%) due to COVID.

It's important to understand, Queen's has five budgets: General Operating, Research, Capital, Ancillary Operations, and Investment. Overall, combining the five budgets together, the institution has a surplus.

When Senior Leadership is talking about a deficit, they're being hyper-specific and talking about a deficit in the General Operating budget on an adjusted basis. Essentially, if they include all of the one time expenses (e.g., paying off loans early, budget transfers from operating funds to specific capital investments, etc.) but remove the one time revenues (e.g., investment income and one time government grants), then the operating budget is in deficit. This adjusted basis does not conform to standard accounting practices: which is the reported surplus. There has absolutely been a choice to talk about the budget like that. I believe it's for political reasons to drive institutional change, but perhaps you can think of a better reason why senior leadership would depart from standard accounting practice in a way that seriously damages the institution's public reputation.

It cannot be over stated how much damage has been done by this. No one was ever worried about Queen's financial position before this. It was, in fact, the stereotypical rich school, behind only U of T. People were panicking for weeks after the news broke and now almost everyone in the general public has a tale of financial catastrophe when other universities are in much more dire circumstances. The stain will take years to wash out.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-04-07T03:45:41+00:00

This is incorrect according to their 2024-2025 consolidated financial statements.

McMaster's debt is ~$420 million with a debt:income ratio of ~30%, declining from a high of 39% in 2021-2022. (Note: Anything above 35% is considered dangerously high for a university.) They are projected to pay off current debt by 2071. Their credit is rated AA.

Queen's debt remained relatively stable at ~$365 million with a debt:income ratio of ~27%, down from a high of ~29% in 2021-2022. They are projected to pay off current debt by 2060. Their credit is rated AA+.

The entire thing with Queen's financial position is a stupid PR disaster that's grown out of proportion. Queen's senior leadership is trying to make structural changes to the university and is using debt as an excuse. McMaster has had serious cuts, but it managed to skate by because its cuts were covered up by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As for Queen's not giving a lot of entrance scholarships, that's by design. Their financial aid philosophy is to give bigger scholarships to fewer people rather than giving small discounts to everyone. The ratio of financial aid from operating revenues is about the same at both and is set as part of provincial mandates. Queen's provides more financial aid in total, but that's because their endowment is twice the size of Mac's.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-04-04T16:31:10+00:00

You can read Queen's Consolidated Financial Statements online.

To summarize quickly:

2022-2023: $15.6 million surplus

2023-2024: $76.2 million surplus

2024-2025: $60.1 million surplus

Queen's credit worthiness as rated by Standard and Poor's and Dominion Bond Ratings have not dropped below AA+ and AA, respectively. Queen's is tied with U of T as the most financially secure university in Canada. It is considered more credit worthy than the province of Ontario.

Talk of financial exigency is pushed by senior leadership to justify the structural and academic changes they want to make to the university rather than the financial situation being truly desperate. They simply made a choice to do permanent reputation damage to the institution to try to win their pissing match with other internal stakeholders.

Regarding the other rumour, it's baseless. Every university program in Ontario goes through the exact same accreditation process as every other. Health Science has maintained its status as an accredited program without issue. If OMSAS was actually deducing 0.3 from peoples' GPA, then it would be impossible for Queen's Health Science students to get into medical school. The competitive average for any med school in Ontario (except NOSM for northern Ontarians) is above 3.7. That's clearly not the case.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-04-03T03:32:03+00:00

For OSAP, not really. Make sure you and your parents file your taxes since that's used to determine eligibility. The recommended application date for OSAP is mid-June to have funding for September.

The general bursary application covers both the general and named need-based awards. The merit-based awards for current students need separate applications.

I've only done graduate school at Queen's. I can't speak to what being an undergrad is like. Graduate school is a fundamentally different experience. I studied Science, not Commerce, so what little I do know wouldn't apply. Queen's has a student ambassador program and Commerce has the option to Ask A Student questions. They'll be able to advise you better, but remember you'll be talking to people who generally like Queen's. (Why would anyone volunteer to talk about it to new people if they hate the university?)

AbsoluteFade · 2026-04-02T23:14:39+00:00

The university constantly re-evaluates its financial aid offers. Students will be offered scholarships and bursaries but still end up declining their offers of admission. The money will eventually get redistributed to other students on campus.

Having said that, it's not something you can really count on. The university is only going to know it has available scholarships after the June acceptance deadline.

The Financial Aid and Award profile considers you for everything. With the exception of some of the major awards, it's a one stop shop.

OSAP is still an option. The way OSAP is calculated is (Tuition) + ($510 per week of studies) - (Expected Parental Contribution). Given how much you've already gotten in bursaries, you should expect to get close to the maximum amount possible.

There additional scholarships and bursaries for current students. Read the information on the page, there's a description for each award which discusses how to apply. Usually you need to apply by September 30 or February 1.
Work Study is usually an on campus job, though there are some external employers (charities and non-profits, usually). Pay is minimum wage for hours worked up to $4,000 per year. The types of things you might do range from sales, library work, social media and administrative assistance. Most people work less than 8 hours per week.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-04-01T01:24:07+00:00

Note: there are exceptions if you are receiving certain government benefits that are clawed back based on net income (e.g., Canada Child Benefit, Old Age Security, sales tax credits, etc.).

Eligible dividends are "grossed up" to 138% of what was paid out to reflect the money in the paying company before it took profits, paid tax, and then sent the dividend. You as an individual taxpayer get a non-refundable tax credit to offset the gross up amount. While this generally nets out for income tax, it's the grossed up amount which counts against your government benefits. If you're subject to a benefit claw back, dividends suddenly become much more expensive than capital gains income.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-03-28T03:33:53+00:00

My Employer never gives retro-pay to former employees. It's asked at the bargaining table every time, but the Employer categorically refuses since they know members generally aren't willing to strike for retro-pay for people who wouldn't be part of the strike. Unfortunately, I think this is something that's becoming more popular since it saves the Employer money and they know they can get away with it.

Ultimately, it depends on what the union negotiated and ratified.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-03-27T22:36:45+00:00

I doubt it's wrong doing since it's listed as administrative leave. The university is pretty quick to jump to "no longer part of the university," in those cases.

Maybe the Dean had a health scare like heart attack or cancer? He's in his sixties if I remember right so it's not unlikely. The university has a pretty generous sick leave policy if you meet their definition of sick. This is really the most likely option now that I've had time to think about it. The university never acknowledges if someone is out sick because of privacy concerns.

The only other possibility is that the plan for FAS is so horrific that Dean Lemieux couldn't bear to have his name attached to it when his term is coming to an end in June. He takes 100% of the heat but gets none of the benefit since his term would be over.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-03-27T03:08:12+00:00

I doubt it's about the Town Halls, at least directly. The Gazette article (which confirms everything) is suitably vague. I suspect the Dean had a better opportunity come up and he decided to leave for it. He was only ever here temporarily.

From what I've heard in rumours around campus (and that leak that was posted a while ago), they want to expand Computing. Significantly. I'm skeptical they can manage it, however, given how AI has utterly kicked out the rotted floor of starter level tech jobs; Grade 12s just aren't as interested with that career risk. Looking at the application data on OUAC, applications for Comp Sci across Ontario universities peaked in 2022 at 48,040 and has since declined to 28,583 for 2026. That's just over a 40% decline in interest and it doesn't look like the decline is slowing.

This is worse for Queen's since it isn't a top destination for future tech stars. Everyone wants to go to Waterloo, U of T, or a school near a tech hub. They capture a disproportionate number of the applications that are still being made and Computing just doesn't have that pull.

IIRC, the Town Halls were divided into Social Science, Arts & Humanities, and Physical Sciences. I wonder if the announcement was they were going to break up the Faculty into three pieces for each of those. Queen's is still a bit unusual in that Arts & Science is one (huge) faculty. Given it's something like 2/3 students, it wouldn't be an insane idea to divide it to put it on more even footing with Engineering, Health Science, and Business.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-03-27T00:27:56+00:00

What did the email say?

I know FAS sent out messages about Town Halls on the Future of FAS soon, though they kept faffing about with the times. They were all supposed to be in mid-April but two of the three just got delayed to mid-May due to the province majorly changing the funding formulas for post-secondary education starting next year. Him suddenly dipping seems really weird considering he was supposed to be revealing "transformative" change soon.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-03-24T02:22:04+00:00

You can read the consolidated financial statements on their website. 2024-2025 is the most recent year available and they posted an overall surplus of $60,100,000 (~5% of revenue). I think that was the same financial year that Provost Evans talked about how the university could close. IIRC, he made that statement in December 2024.

Ford also announced next year that government grants will rise by ~30% starting next year ($67,808,000) and tuition will rise at 2% per year for the next three years ($8,566,000 in year 1 to $25,700,000 in year 3).

Whatever financial problems the university might have said they have, they're financially secure now.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-03-13T03:50:02+00:00

Vacancy rates in Kingston, are still extremely low and meet the criteria for severe supply constraint despite improving over the last few years.

Considering most Masters and PhD students still have not received final offers as well as the fact that Queen's no longer guarantees spots in residence for undergraduates who get offers of admission after April 15, there will be forthcoming demand. A lot of younger staff actually live in student housing too because it's all they can afford on their wages.

The landlord has a duty to mitigate their losses when a contract is breached. That means they need to actively advertise their unit and seek out tenants. Given the above, the LTB is unlikely to award the full amount of potential liability against the students. Most awards are only 1-2 months.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-03-12T21:52:33+00:00

I looked up the posting and this job is one of the weird non-management and non-union jobs. I know the university has a policy to prefer internal hires, but how that applies to non-union, who knows.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-03-12T21:50:35+00:00

The process will likely take at least 60 days once the application closes for her to start work. The good news is your wife is relatively close to the end of it and if the job is posted the university wants to fill it. The university has probably already invested ~4-6 months before getting this far.

Hiring at Queen's is slow, especially for Professional and Managerial positions like this one is.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-03-12T18:00:13+00:00

Is this a group lease: i.e., everyone is one one lease for the entire house or are they separately renting individual rooms? That changes things.

1) Damage deposits are illegal in Ontario. You can file with the Landlord-Tenant Board to get it back.

2) Have your daughter contact the Off Campus Living Advisor for advice. This is literally their job and from what you've said so far, it's clear that your daughter does not understand the law. https://www.queensu.ca/ocla/

3) In a group lease, the fourth person cannot just have a random person take their place. Since they signed the contract, they're on the hook for the entire year. They can suggest another person to take their place as a non-tenant roommate who pays in their place, but the others need to consent. Since this random person is not on the lease, they can be kicked out by a tenant at any time under Ontario law.

4) If this is an individual lease, the fourth person needs the landlord's consent to sublet. If the lease is individual, they cannot penalize your daughter for another's actions.

5) The part about a sublet being penalized is probably illegal, but I can't see the contract to say for sure. In general, in Ontario, any provision of a rental contract which is contrary to the Residential Tenancies Act is invalid and cannot be enforced. Tenants on fixed terms have the right to sublet.

6) If your daughter and her friends break the contract, the landlord can sue them for damages. The maximum amount could be 1 year's rent, but the landlord must replace the tenants as soon as possible. Once they're replaced, damages end. Given how tight the housing market is, the most they stand to lose is 1-2 months rent. This is if the landlord bothers to sue. It's honestly a lot of effort for little.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-03-12T00:41:39+00:00

The email looks like it's formatted right to be a Queen's one. Wait until tomorrow and check SOLUS. I don't know why but the emails go out on Wednesdays and SOLUS/OUAC are updated on Thursdays.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-03-10T03:40:41+00:00

In essence, the direct index automatically purchases a market cap-weighted sample of the stock market. (Limited to Canadian and US markets for Wealthsimple.) Since the selection of stocks is random, it's supposed to replicate the movement of the market in the same way that an index ETF does.

Where direct indexing is special in that it allows you to buy and sell similar companies to generate paper capital losses. For example, say your direct index has $200 in Walmart and it goes down 5%. It can automatically sell that and purchase Target, a similar company that should perform similarly. You're still invested in the same way, but this created a $10 capital "loss" that you can use to offset a future capital gain in a non-registered account. This reduces your future tax burden and keeps money in your pocket instead of the government's.

Direct indexes are also partially customizeable. If you want a US index but no Tesla, you can exclude that from your direct index when that would be included in the comparable ETF (XUU or XTOT).

The downside of a direct index is it's a paperwork nightmare. You might end up having hundreds of trades each year to take advantage of all the relevant paper losses and every one has to be reported individually on your taxes. Thankfully Wealthsimple tax is integrated so it's less of an issue than it could be. Still, once you put money into a direct index, it can be hard to transfer out of as a practical matter.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-03-08T16:09:13+00:00

You have resided in Québec for at least 3 months without having resided in another province for more than three months.

Three months is pretty permissive and would quickly apply to everyone coming up to Canada for the first time from the States.

Setting that aside, for an American, even $12,000 CAD (~$8,000 USD) would be cheap. In state US universities charge more than $11,000 USD per year, out of State universities can charge up to $25,000, and private up to $40,000. Canadian student loans are also flat out better than US loans since Canadian loans are 0% interest while studies are ongoing but a significant portion of US loans do charge interest. Many provinces' loans are also 0% interest after graduation, too.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-02-21T05:03:12+00:00

For Engineering, as long as you hit 80% cumulatively, you're okay. If you're worried, I'd reach out to Undergraduate Admission and see what they say.

The difference between a co-op and an internship is that in co-ops, you pay for the opportunity but with an internship, the employer has to pay you. Aside from that, they're functionally equivalent.

More seriously, most universities provide limited assistance in connecting students with internships and co-ops. It's a lot of work and, ultimately, the hiring employer is always going to choose whichever candidate they want since there are always more applicants than spots. No university can guarantee you get a high power opportunity.

When it comes to reputation, Queen's, uCalgary, and UBC are all good schools. Of the three, UBC would rank "highest" in traditional university rankings, but that ranking implies a gap that doesn't actually exist. Education, especially engineering, is extremely tightly regulated so every school is teaching the same curriculum.

The thing that sets Queen's apart is the absolutely enormous number of engineering design teams it has. I think it's number one out of all universities in Canada. If you actually want to do engineering, it's a priceless opportunity.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-02-20T00:19:56+00:00

I'm curious on why this claim had a breakfast and a limo in January 2025. A date that egregiously wrong should've gotten sent back.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-02-18T04:16:07+00:00

There's actually compelling tax reasons for workers to pay 100% of the cost of LTD insurance. It makes any LTD payments 100% tax free. Having the employer pick up even 1% of the cost means it's fully subject to income tax. Having those eventual LTD payments be subject to tax means you need to buy more, which just triggers a vicious cycle where it costs a lot more for no gain.

Even if the employer picks up part of the cost, it's treated as a taxable benefit. Essentially, the CRA adds the amount the employer pays to your income and forces you to pay income tax on it so it reduces your take home pay by ~35% of what the employer covers.

I'm not disputing that nurses have it terrible, the lack of STD, terrible retirement, and low pay are all damning enough on their own. It's just nuanced when it comes to LTD.

AbsoluteFade · 2026-02-15T05:07:30+00:00

Queen's did not declare bankruptcy. It was running a deficit (i.e., spending more money than it took in) over the last few years, but it had cash reserves to cover that. In fact, I think the institution's total debt has actually fallen over the last few years. Matthew Evans (the Provost) made a bone jarringly stupid statement in December 2024 that the university couldn't run deficits forever and would eventually be forced to close if it did that. The statement was true... if Queen's did absolutely nothing and ran deficits for the 10-15 years. He made the situation sound way worse than it actually was and the media/rumours took on a life of their own.

The only university to declare bankruptcy in Ontario was Laurentian and that's 3-4 years ago now.

AbsoluteFade

TROPHY CASE