Can you be fired for conduct outside of work?

The Ghomeshi case has raised the question of when an employer can fire an employee for conduct outside of work. Is it your employer’s business what you do on your own time such that you may be fired?

The answer is, yes, so long as the employer is in compliance with all relevant statutory and other laws. To put it bluntly, an employer may fire an employee for any reason, at any time, so long as it provides the employee with reasonable notice or pay in lieu of reasonable notice and has not contravened the Ontario Human Rights Code, or other relevant and applicable laws.