Can the new owner cut my hours without technically laying me off?

In principle, some adjustment to hours is within a new owner's normal discretion to run the business its own way, but there are real limits, and a significant enough cut can matter legally even without ever being labelled a "layoff." Ontario's Employment Standards Act, 2000 has specific rules about reduced hours or earnings crossing a threshold that gets treated as a deemed layoff for statutory purposes, whether or not the employer calls it that — the label an employer uses doesn't control the legal characterization.

Separately, at common law, a dramatic and lasting cut to your hours or pay can amount to a fundamental change to your job that you're not required to simply accept, potentially giving you rights well beyond whatever the Employment Standards Act sets as a bare minimum. A modest, temporary scheduling adjustment during a transition is different from a sustained, severe cut designed to quietly push you out or reduce costs without paying what a real layoff or termination would require.

If your hours are cut substantially and it doesn't look temporary, don't assume that avoiding the word "layoff" means nothing has legally happened — document exactly how much your hours or pay dropped and for how long, and get advice on whether it crosses into something you don't have to accept.