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Offer letter template for Canada

General information, not legal advice. Last checked October 29, 2026.

By , tech recruiter at GuruLink in Winnipeg. Recruiting tech people since 2018. Updated .

How to use this

General information, not legal advice. Have an employment lawyer in your province review the letter before you send it. Every [LAWYER REVIEW] flag marks a spot where a small wording choice can cost real money.

This letter is for employees only. If the person is a contractor, use a contractor agreement instead. Calling an employee a contractor doesn't change their status. In Ontario you can't treat an employee as if they're not one (ESA s. 5.1).

Don't use US-style "at-will" wording. In Ontario, after 3 months, you usually can't end someone's job without written notice or pay instead of notice (ESA s. 54). Every province in the table below sets its own minimum notice. In Ontario, you can't contract out of the minimums (ESA s. 5).

Three Ontario cases show how courts read termination clauses. This is context, not advice.

  • In Waksdale (2020), Ontario's Court of Appeal read the termination clauses as a whole. One clause broke the ESA, so all of them failed, even the one that was fine on its own (2020 ONCA 391, para. 10).
  • In Dufault (2024), a judge struck clauses that set a "for cause" test looser than the ESA's. The clauses also left out pay and benefits the ESA covers. And they gave the employer "sole discretion" to end the job "at any time" (2024 ONSC 1029, paras. 37 to 47).
  • In Baker and Li (August 2026), the Court of Appeal held that "at any time" wording, read in context, did not break the ESA (2026 ONCA 568, paras. 47 to 50). The same ruling notes the Court of Appeal had declined to rule on that point in Dufault (para. 11).

Courts are still settling this, so the template doesn't write the termination clause for you. Its default line promises at least the provincial minimum and doesn't try to limit notice. If you want to limit notice to the minimum, a lawyer has to write that clause.

Make the offer by phone first, then send the letter. Give the person a few business days to decide.

The template

Download .md

Offer of employment

General information, not legal advice. Have an employment lawyer in your province review this before you send it. Delete every bracket and flag before sending.

[Company legal name] ([operating name, if different]) [Address] ยท [City, Province, Postal code] [Date]

[Full name] [Address]

Dear [First name],

We're happy to offer you the job of [Job title] at [Company name]. This letter sets out the main terms. [If you use a separate employment agreement: "The attached employment agreement has the full terms. If this letter and the agreement differ, the agreement applies."] [LAWYER REVIEW 1: letter versus full agreement]

The job

  • Title: [Job title]
  • Reports to: [Name, title]
  • Start date: [Date]
  • Where you'll work: [City, Province]. [Remote / Hybrid, X days in office / On-site]
  • Status: Full-time, permanent employee. [LAWYER REVIEW 2: if this is a fixed term, a lawyer needs to write the term and early-end wording]
  • Hours: [General description, for example "about 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday"]

Pay

  • Base salary: $[Amount] a year, paid [every two weeks / twice a month] on [pay day], by direct deposit to an account you choose.
  • Bonus: [None / Describe it: target, what it's based on, when it's paid, and whether it's discretionary] [LAWYER REVIEW 3: bonus wording, especially what happens on resignation or termination]
  • Equity: [None / X stock options under the [Plan name]. The plan and your grant agreement set the terms, including vesting and what happens if you leave. Grants need board approval.] [LAWYER REVIEW 4: equity terms and what happens to unvested equity on termination]
  • Signing bonus: [None / $X, paid on [date]] [LAWYER REVIEW 5: any repayment term]

Vacation

[X] weeks of paid vacation a year. This will never be less than the vacation time and vacation pay required in [Province].

Benefits

[Health, dental, vision, RRSP match, etc.], starting [date], under the terms of each plan.

Probation (optional)

[Leave this section out unless a lawyer writes it.] [LAWYER REVIEW 6: probation period and wording]

Ending employment

  • If you resign: please give us [X] weeks' written notice.
  • If we end your employment without cause: we will give you at least the notice, or pay instead of notice, plus any severance pay and benefit continuation, required by the employment standards law of [Province]. You may be entitled to more under the law. [LAWYER REVIEW 7: the termination clause. Do not add "at any time", "sole discretion", "at will" or a "for cause" test without a lawyer.]

Conditions

This offer depends on:

  • proof that you are legally entitled to work in Canada, before your start date
  • reference checks, done only with your written consent
  • [a background check tied to the duties of this job, done only with your written consent] [LAWYER REVIEW 8: whether any check is needed, and the consent wording]
  • signing our [Confidentiality and Intellectual Property Agreement] [LAWYER REVIEW 9: keep IP terms to work done for us, and confidentiality terms reasonable]

We will not ask you to sign a non-compete. [LAWYER REVIEW 10: any non-solicit, and the rules outside Ontario]

Accommodation

We support employees with disabilities. Our accommodation policy is [attached / at link]. Tell [name, email] if you need anything to start well.

Your employment information

  • Employer: [Legal name] ([operating name])
  • Contact: [Name], [phone], [email], [address]
  • Where you'll work: [general description]
  • Starting pay: $[Amount] a year
  • Pay period and pay day: [every two weeks, on Fridays]
  • Expected hours: [general description]

Law that applies

The laws of [Province] and Canada apply to this offer. [Quebec: give the French version first. See the notes.]

Please reply by [date, a few business days from now]. Call me with any questions.

Sincerely,

[Name], [Title], [Company name]

Acceptance

I accept this offer on the terms above. I had time to read it, ask questions and get advice before signing. [LAWYER REVIEW 11: timing of signing. Get it signed before the start date.]

Signature: ________________________

Date: ________________________

Notes for the employer. Delete before sending. General information, not legal advice.

Province notes

ProvinceNotice when you end the job (minimum)Vacation timeVacation payAlso know
OntarioNone in the first 3 months. Then 1 week under 1 year, 2 weeks for 1 to 3 years, then 1 more week per year to 8 weeks at 8 years. ESA ss. 54, 57.2 weeks a year. 3 weeks after 5 years. ESA s. 33.4%. 6% after 5 years. ESA s. 35.2.Severance pay at 5 years if payroll is $2.5M or more. ESA s. 64. Non-competes are void, except for executives and some business sales. ESA s. 67.2. 25 or more employees: give written job info before day one (section 9 covers it). ESA guide. Tell the person about your accommodation policies when you offer. O. Reg. 191/11, s. 24. The employee picks the direct deposit account. ESA s. 11(4).
BC1 week after 3 months. 2 weeks after 12 months. 3 weeks after 3 years, then 1 more week per year to 8 weeks. BC ESA s. 63.2 weeks after 12 months. 3 weeks after 5 years. BC ESA s. 57.4% after 5 days. 6% after 5 years. BC ESA s. 58.Don't ask about past pay. BC Pay Transparency Act s. 3.
AlbertaNone at 90 days or less. 1 week up to 2 years. 2 weeks at 2 to 4. 4 weeks at 4 to 6. 5 weeks at 6 to 8. 6 weeks at 8 to 10. 8 weeks at 10 or more. AB Code ss. 55(2)(b), 56.2 weeks for each of the first 4 years. 3 weeks after 5 years. AB Code s. 34.4%. 6% with 3 weeks. Monthly-paid staff use a different formula. AB Code ss. 34.1, 34.2.
ManitobaNone in the first 30 days. 1 week under 1 year. 2 weeks at 1 to 3. 4 weeks at 3 to 5. 6 weeks at 5 to 10. 8 weeks at 10 or more. MB Code ss. 61(2), 62(1).2 weeks for each of the first 4 years. 3 weeks after 5 years. MB Code s. 34(1).2% for each week of vacation, so 4% or 6%. MB Code s. 39(2).
QuebecNone under 3 months. 1 week under 1 year. 2 weeks at 1 to 5. 4 weeks at 5 to 10. 8 weeks at 10 or more. QC Labour Standards ss. 82, 82.1.2 weeks after 1 year. 3 weeks after 3 years. QC Labour Standards ss. 68, 69.4%. 6% with 3 weeks. QC Labour Standards s. 74.Draw up a written employment contract in French. Another language is allowed only if both of you expressly want it. For a standard-form contract, they must see the French version first. Job offers you publish must be in French too. Charter of the French language s. 41. Have a lawyer confirm how this applies to an offer letter. After 2 years, an employee can complain of dismissal without good and sufficient cause. QC Labour Standards s. 124.

These are minimums. Courts can award more notice unless a valid contract clause limits it. A clause that breaks the minimum can sink every termination clause in the contract. Sources: Waksdale, 2020 ONCA 391, para. 10, and Baker, 2026 ONCA 568, para. 84.

Federally regulated employers follow the Canada Labour Code instead. This template does not cover it.

Sources (checked October 29, 2026)

Sources