I moved to Canada in 2017 from another country and was right away offered a job with my wifes cousins husband so “Family”. I've worked construction my whole adult life and this was no different, only difference was this was Waterproofing.
Let me start off with when I started working at this place there was no OT ever, You were forced to show up at 6:30 but didn't get paid till 7 because “I don't pay you to put your boots on and talk shit”,
And some of the trucks didn't have turn signals and when asked through the proper channels for light bulbs to replace the turn signal bulbs we were yelled at “Put your hand out the fucking window and wave the way you want to go.”
I worked there for 4 years and put my body through hell. Multiple slipped disc pinching my siatic nerve, breathing in black spray and god knows what else. I was a foreman and running a job, one morning I go through the COVID booth and answer my questions and when I step off, BOOM can barely move let alone make it to the First aid booth. End up in the ER and get loaded up with a ton of pills until I can get in for a CT, I finally get in and find out that I have multiple bulging disc pinching my siatic nerve. I'm off for the next 4 months rehabbing on workers comp and just getting myself back to shape so I can lift up these 100 pound rolls every day.
I get back and everythings different, the girl I trained was in charge of my jobs and I wasn't mad about it, 4 months is a long time in construction and my “Family” thought it was what was right. 1.5 days into being back I was shitcanned.
I was looking for other jobs and my buddy heard about the job I was looking at and he asked me for the link to it, the girl I had trained since day 1 heard about it and ran to my “Family” and told him that I was trying to recruit my buddy to a company I didn't even have an interview for.
He approaches me and threatens me and tells me he'll never let me take one of his guys and was an all around dick about it, so him being “Family” I tell him it was never my intention and I would never screw over “Family”
I call my buddy and tell him what happened and he says I'll talk to “Family”. Next day I'm sent by myself to pick up materials and come back to the shop, I get there and out walks “Family” with a contract in hand pointing to the part about recruiting and saying that I was in breach of my contract and that he was going to be nice since we were “Family” and give me the opportunity to quit. I told him I would talk to my wife about it and let him know.
I went to my wifes work (Her company is a way bigger construction company with an actual HR department) and talked to their HR and they told me 100% to not quit and to let them fire you. So I message my “Family” and tell him that they'll have to fire me. He messages back “Why? That's not smart. You need to quit.” I respond back with “I have to do what is best for my family and I can't be out of a job without some kind of pay.” He sends back ” Hahaha you're not getting unemployment, we're firing you for just cause.”
So I've been in contact with the Labour board here and of course have been waiting for almost a full year for a response. I've kept the threats and bullshit they sent me around that time.
Do you guys think I should see a lawyer? Do you guys think I have some kind of case?
Also, sorry if this post is just a throw up of information haha, I typed this on break at school and wanted some opinions after reading the new post about someone getting white hair and being asked to dye it hahaha.