Calling someone a contractor does not make them one. The CRA determines employment status based on the reality of the working relationship, not the wording of the agreement. Misclassification can leave businesses responsible for years of retroactive CPP and EI liabilities, interest, and penalties. The risk is often invisible — until it isn't.

Role ambiguity costs more than organizations realize. When overlapping responsibilities mask unclear decision authority, the result is delays, duplication, and drag. Ordinis on structural clarity.

The fine is rarely the most expensive part. When a compliance failure triggers a regulatory response, the disruption extends well beyond the penalty. Work stops. Management attention shifts. The organizations most surprised by this are usually the ones that had been treating compliance as a box to check.