Can my new boss cut my pay right after buying the business?

Not without your agreement, at least not right away. If your employment simply continues with the same corporate employer, typical of a share sale, your existing pay is a term of your job that can't be unilaterally slashed without amounting to a breach of your contract. If the business was sold as assets and you're being hired fresh by the new owner, that owner can set the pay it's actually offering — but that's a new job offer, and you can decline it and rely on your rights against your old employer instead, rather than being forced to accept a cut just to keep working.

Where continuity of employment applies, a significant unilateral pay cut imposed after the sale can amount to a fundamental change to your job that lets you treat your employment as effectively ended, even if the paycheques kept coming — opening up rights beyond the Employment Standards Act minimums under the common law. A one-time imposed cut is different from a change you actually negotiate and agree to.

If your pay has already been cut without any real conversation, document the change in writing and get advice quickly, since how you respond in the following weeks can genuinely matter to your options.