When you’re starting a new business, you always want to have a legally binding contract in place with your clients. While contracts are often overlooked until the last minute in favour of more exciting aspects of launching a business such as marketing strategy, website design, and branding, contracts are an important element of maintaining good relationships with clients and ensuring your business is protected if the relationship falls apart. This blog post will highlight 5 elements you need to consider when drafting a business-to-business contract or B-2-C contract in Ontario. 1 ..read more

Contracts come in all shapes and sizes and will vary greatly based on the industry the agreement is taking place within, the types of parties involved (such as between corporations or individuals, employees and employers, a business and the general public) and ultimately the amount of money at stake. This blog post will highlight five of the most popular contracts and the circumstances when they should be used. 1. Business to Business Agreement The first type of contract known as a business-to-business agreement or B-2-B contract is (as the name suggests) an agreement entered into between tw ..read more

Protect your Ontario business with a solid Service Contract How many clients do you expect will hire you in the next year? What about the next five years? Each time you enter into an agreement for services with your clients you assume new obligations and therefore new financial liabilities for your business. These liabilities can come from implied terms (those not actually written in your agreement) or under statutes such as the Consumer Protection Act or Sale of Goods Act. This is why it is important to avoid service agreement templates and have properly drafted contracts prepared by an Onta ..read more

Business owners often want to characterize their staff members as independent contractors to avoid the hassle of having to deal with the legal requirements governing employment relationships. In Ontario, this includes making statutory withholdings from the employees pay and following Ontario’s Employment Standards Act rules for minimum wage, overtime, and vacation pay. However, it doesn’t matter if your worker has signed an employment contract or independent contractor agreement, treating an independent contractor like an employee comes with a risk that the courts will find the worker was actu ..read more

Human capital can be one of the most valuable assets of a business. However, your employees can quickly become an expensive liability without properly drafted Ontario employment agreements. This blog post will cover some of the essential terms to include in your Ontario employment contract template to help minimize your liability when an employment relationship comes to an end. Clear Start Date and Letter of Offer  One often overlooked component of entering into an employment agreement is the employee’s start date. This is because when a dispute arises (usually in regard to notice or se ..read more

Independent contractor agreements or consultant agreements are perfect for when a self-employed individual contracts with a company to provide their services NOT as an employee. Organizations making use of independent contractors should be aware of the difference between an independent contractor and an employee and the risks involved with mischaracterizing an employee as a contractor (for more information on this topic see the previous post, what is the difference between an independent contractor and an employee?). However, when an independent contractor agreement or consultant agreement is ..read more

Whether incorporated federally under the Canada Business Corporations Act or Provincially under the Ontario Business Corporations Act, shareholders to a corporation will often want to enter into an additional agreement amongst themselves to address matters beyond the corporation’s bylaws and articles of incorporation. This is why shareholders enter into a shareholder agreement or unanimous shareholder agreement. This blog post will explain the benefits of entering into a shareholder agreement and the typical issues your shareholder’s agreement should address when doing business in Ontario. The ..read more

A website’s terms of service sometimes also referred to as website conditions of use (or “TOS” for short) is a legally binding agreement between website users and the website creator designed to limit the website creator’s liability that can arise from users who access their site. This blog post will describe some of the main considerations that should go into your terms of service and how to properly implement your TOS to increase the chance that the terms will be legally enforceable. Formation of a Legally Enforceable Terms of Service Canadian courts have generally found that TOS are a form ..read more

The short answer is no. But having a dedicated Ontario small business lawyer involved from the start has numerous advantages. This blog post will provide 5 reasons why you should have a small business lawyer to help you start your business. If you need legal advice from a contract lawyer in Ontario, book your legal consultation with Supply Law today. *Disclaimer: this guide is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice nor create a solicitor-client relationship between the author and reader. As with all legal matters, a lawyer should be properly retained and consulted ..read more

This blog post covers the basics of partnership agreements in Ontario and what you should know before you decide to do business with a partner. If you need contract advice from a licensed Ontario contract lawyer, book your legal consultation with Supply Law today. Book Your Contract Review Now *Disclaimer: this guide is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice nor create a solicitor-client relationship between the author and reader. As with all legal matters, a lawyer should be properly retained and consulted where legal advice may reasonably be considered necessary ..read more