I have a business that must close, and 5 employees will be terminated. Two have been employed by me for 40 years, two for 25 years, and one for 10 years. I understand that 8 weeks is the minimum notice period for termination. I plan on offering 16 weeks notice. Would this be considered reasonable? Because of our size, there is no severance/termination pay that applies: we wouldn't have the money to pay anything anyway, as the business is losing money.

Each employee has minimum notice entitlements as prescribed by employment standards legislation, and more generous common law entitlements to "reasonable" notice or pay in lieu thereof. Long service employees may be entitled to as much as one month per year of service, depending on their age and position, unless they signed contracts that limit what they can get. My firm can help you craft termination offers that allow you to save money while reducing the risk of litigation so I encourage you to call us at the number below to set up a consultation.