I would like to put forward this question....

Assuming one is emigrating to Canada not for retirement, how old is it considerd too old (in terms of age) to uproot oneself from his home country and establish a new life in Canada?

Hello Beaver,

I can only speak for the province i live in (Ontario ), things might be different in other provinces. The following applies here in Ontario:

No law in Canada requires retirement at age 65. However, many workplaces mandate retirement at age 65, even if an employee still wants to work. Mandatory retirement may be part of a collective agreement negotiated between the employer and union or contained in an employer’s personnel policies.

For the purposes of complaints of age discrimination in employment, the legal definition of "age" in the Ontario Human Rights Code is limited to people between the ages of 18 and 65. This means that the Commission cannot receive a complaint of age discrimination in employment from someone who is 65 or older. Therefore, currently it is not contrary to the Human Rights Code to require employees to retire at age 65 (or older) and employees cannot challenge such personnel policies or collective agreements. Similarly, workers who remain employed past age 65 cannot complain if their employer treats them differently (e.g. in remuneration, benefits, hours, vacation etc.) because of their age.

Mandatory retirement has been the subject of several unsuccessful challenges under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Supreme Court of Canada has found that mandatory retirement does discriminate on the basis of age but that it is a reasonable limit on the equality rights of older persons. However, in a recent decision, the British Columbia Court of Appeal found that a public sector mandatory retirement policy was not justifiable.

In order for mandatory retirement to be made illegal in Ontario, it is necessary to amend the Human Rights Code. The Commission has recommended that the Legislative Assembly of Ontario do so. Employers and unions should also reconsider the necessity of mandatory retirement policies.

Cheers

mick

PS: For more info, checkout this site http://www.economica.ca/ew81p2.htm

Hi Mick,

Thanks for your detailed reply. However, it is a sad fact of life that most employers are unwilling to hire someone who they perceive to be too old and I am sure it will be quite difficult for one to prove to the courts that he was turned down for the job due to his age.

Therefore, with that in mind, what is the oldest age ball park age or age range b4 an employer starts to have serious doubts about hiring someone?

I can only speak from personal experience but I was hired to come over here at age 50 and the company I work for (not small) happily imports people from Europe of all ages. Maybe it helps being in Quebec where age discrimination is pretty much a no-no?

I would say around 50 as well.. nothing to base this on really.. just a guess.

Sad really that some companies are age-ist.

another thing to think about..

how old are you really?

I mean, I am really only 25 at heart

people are surprised to learn my real age

I think some people are just old to begin with.. if you are young at heart, still "with it" and such.. I do believe you could sell yourself at any age..