Sweet Jaysus thats unfair. Sorry to hear about that.
that was horrible but I am over it now. We all have stories of good employers and bad ones. This particular one was a law breaker on many levels. Small companies get away with many things even in Canada;)
Was it imperative that you were in the workplace?
I wouldn't think so, but I left for Poland 2 times that year without pay (was not in the contract), so I assumed that my boss was understanding enough in my situation.
Would the company have lost a lot of cash if they allowed you compassionate leave?
NO. The owner was very stingy.
Here you are entitled to 3-5 paid days leave if an immediate relative passes away.
Well, I was not offered that, even if it was statutory. I was too shocked to demand it considering the state I was in at that time.
I thought Canada would be similar or better.
It is in most work places. Regardless, I quit after 3 months and went back to uni full time, got myself a degree and plus, so good things come out of the bad ones in the end:). I don't think I would do it of my boss was a good one.
Going back on topic, we don't really know what happened and I would like to find out. Those stories usually have 2 versions.