WI Cost Ontario 2026: How Pricing Really Works

Suppose your HR director hands you a quote from a downtown Toronto law firm: $45,000 for a workplace harassment investigation. You nearly drop your coffee. Is that normal? Are you about to get fleeced? Or is it actually reasonable?

Here's the uncomfortable truth: without pricing transparency, you'll never know.

Professional-services pricing is genuinely hard to compare from the outside — engagement models differ, scope definitions differ, and most quotes arrive without context. Meanwhile, employers sit in the dark, anxious about whether they're spending too much, too little, or just right.

This post exists to change that. We're pulling back the curtain on how workplace investigation pricing works in Ontario in 2026, what drives it, and most importantly, how to budget intelligently without overspending or cutting corners.

Key Takeaways

Here's what you need to know right now:

• Law firm investigations sit at the top of the market — partner-level hourly rates, litigation-calibrated documentation, and total costs that scale steeply with complexity
• Independent HR investigators typically cost meaningfully less because the overhead is genuinely lower — not because the work is less rigorous
• Internal investigations by your own HR team appear "free" but carry real staff-time costs and serious risk costs if the process is later contested
• Complexity matters more than provider type — the number of parties, evidence volume, urgency, jurisdiction, and reporting scope drive the fee more than the logo on the invoice
• The cost of NOT investigating far exceeds any investigation budget: OHSA penalties, tribunal awards, and wrongful dismissal litigation (recent public decisions are covered below)
• A written fee and scope before work begins eliminates billing surprises and shifts efficiency risk to the investigator, not to you

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Not sure if your situation requires a formal investigation? Take our free 2-minute assessment to find out if you're legally required to investigate, what it will cost, and your recommended next steps under Ontario law.

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The Real Cost Range: What Ontario Employers Should Expect in 2026

Workplace investigations in Ontario occupy a price spectrum that reflects both the provider's overhead and the investigation's complexity. A single-witness, straightforward code-of-conduct investigation sits at the low end of the market. A multi-party sexual harassment case with fifteen witnesses, hundreds of pages of email evidence, and a respondent represented by counsel can cost many multiples of that — well into six figures at law-firm rates.

The problem most employers face isn't knowing what their specific investigation will cost—it's not knowing how the market is structured before they start shopping. You can't negotiate intelligently if you don't understand what drives the quote.

The reality: Ontario's investigation market has three distinct pricing tiers, each with different economics, risk profiles, and documentation standards. Understanding them is the first step to making a smart decision.

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Law Firm Investigation Rates: What You're Really Paying For

Law firms are the right choice for some high-stakes investigations, particularly those with active litigation exposure or regulatory scrutiny. Their pricing reflects this positioning.

Hourly Rates

Partner-level investigators at major Toronto and Ottawa law firms bill at the top of the professional-services market, with associates billing below partners but still well above independent-investigator rates. The variation depends on the firm's location (downtown Toronto premium), its investigation reputation, and the complexity it's expected to handle. Ask any firm you're considering for its current rate card — reputable firms will provide it.

A multi-person investigation team—partner oversight, senior associate managing interviews, junior associate documenting evidence, paralegal scheduling and transcription—multiplies the daily cost of actual investigation work, plus internal coordination time.

Total Cost Range

Complexity is the multiplier:

• Simple investigation (single allegation, 3–5 witnesses, minimal documentation): the low end of a firm's range
• Moderate investigation (2–3 allegations, 8–12 witnesses, significant email trail): a meaningful multiple of a simple matter
• Complex investigation (multi-party sexual harassment, 15+ witnesses, document-intensive, regulatory involvement): six figures is a realistic planning assumption at law-firm rates

Outlier cases—particularly those involving senior leadership, board-level involvement, or active litigation—can run substantially higher still. These are exceptions, not the norm.

Why Law Firms Cost More (And When That's Worth It)

The premium reflects several real advantages:

Institutional overhead. Law firms carry rent, benefits, administrative staff, malpractice insurance, and technology infrastructure. These costs are built into every billable hour. You're not paying for the investigation alone—you're renting the firm's entire apparatus.

Litigation-grade documentation. Law firms approach investigations as though they may be tested in court (because they might be). Every interview is documented meticulously. Chains of custody on documents are maintained. Findings are drafted with language calibrated to withstand cross-examination. This rigor matters when human rights complaints or wrongful dismissal suits are probable.

Leverage model. Law firms use junior staff under partner supervision, which theoretically improves efficiency (a senior associate runs the investigation; a partner reviews findings and strategy). In practice, this can add coordination overhead that increases cost without proportional value for straightforward cases.

Brand premium. A name-brand firm carries weight in settlement negotiations and regulatory proceedings. If you're in mediation with a respondent's counsel, or facing a Ministry of Labour investigation, the other side takes a Bay Street law firm more seriously than an independent investigator. This isn't fair, but it's real.

When Law Firm Rates Are Justified

• Active or likely litigation. If wrongful dismissal or human rights claims are probable, you need litigation-ready documentation and a provider who understands courtroom standards of evidence.
• Regulatory proceedings. When you're under Ministry of Labour or Human Rights Commission scrutiny, law firm involvement adds credibility and helps you navigate procedural requirements you may not understand.
• Senior leadership or board involvement. Complex cases involving C-level executives, board members, or governance issues benefit from law firm experience in conflict-of-interest management and structural complexity.
• Multi-party sexual harassment with evidence. When the complaint involves multiple complainants, significant documentary evidence (emails, messages, photos), and a powerful respondent, law firm rigor is a legitimate investment in defensibility.
• You need ongoing counsel. Some law firms offer packaged investigation + post-investigation support (disciplinary defense, tribunal representation). If that's valuable to you, the investigation cost is part of a larger service.

For straightforward, single-allegation code-of-conduct investigations at non-senior levels, a law-firm engagement may be more than the matter requires.

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Independent HR Investigator Rates: Professional-Grade at Lower Overhead

Independent investigators—typically HR professionals with 10+ years of investigation experience, often credentialed as CHRP or CHRL—occupy the middle ground. They offer professional rigor without law firm overhead.

Hourly Rates

Independent investigators in Ontario charge materially less per hour than law firms, with rates varying by experience level, credentials, and geographic location. Ask for the rate — and for a written estimate of hours — before you engage.

The daily cost for an independent investigator is a fraction of law-firm daily costs — not because the investigator is less qualified, but because there's no institutional overhead behind the rate.

Total Cost Range

For the same complexity scenarios:

• Simple investigation (single allegation, 3–5 witnesses, minimal documentation): the low end of the independent market
• Moderate investigation (2–3 allegations, 8–12 witnesses, significant email trail): the most common tier — hours scale with witnesses and documents
• Complex investigation (multi-party, 15+ witnesses, document-intensive): the top of the independent market, still typically well below law-firm totals

Whatever the tier, a reputable independent investigator quotes a written fee and scope after intake, based on the number of parties, evidence volume, urgency, jurisdiction, and reporting scope — before work begins.

Why They Cost Less (And What You Get)

Lower cost reflects genuinely lower overhead, not lower quality. An independent investigator works from a home office or small shared space, carries their own insurance, and doesn't employ administrative staff. The hourly rate directly reflects billable time.

But there's a subtler advantage: efficiency through focus. Independent investigators conduct investigations constantly. They've refined their methodology, know how to extract information efficiently, and don't have to coordinate across multiple team members or submit to partner review. Many run tighter timelines because a single investigator handles the file end to end — which itself reduces total cost.

Credentials to Look For

Not all independent investigators are equal. Before engaging one, verify:

• CHRP or CHRL certification. Chartered HR Professional credentials (through HRPA, Human Resources Professionals Association) indicate education, experience, and commitment to professional standards.
• Investigation-specific training. Look for formal investigation training through recognized bodies — for example, Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) training or HRPA investigation programs.
• References from peer organizations. Call 2–3 other employers who've used them. Ask whether findings held up if contested, and whether the investigator's recommendations proved sound.
• Familiarity with Ontario employment law. They should understand the Human Rights Code, ESA, OHSA, and how investigations intersect with each.
• Professional liability insurance. They should carry E&O insurance in case findings are later challenged.

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Internal Investigation Costs: The Hidden Expense Most Employers Miss

Many employers think they've found the cheapest option: run the investigation themselves. Your HR director conducts interviews. Your manager helps compile documents. No external fees. Problem solved.

This is false economy.

Direct Staff Time

Illustrative estimate — plug in your own salary numbers. A straightforward internal investigation typically requires:

• HR lead time: 40–60 hours (scoping, interview prep, conducting 5–8 interviews, document review, findings drafting)
• Manager/supervisor time: 20–30 hours (initial complaint intake, witness coordination, background context)
• Finance/IT time: 5–10 hours (if records retrieval or system access is needed)

Total: 65–100 hours for a simple case. For a more complex investigation, multiply that by 1.5 to 2.

Loaded Cost of That Time

Take your HR director's fully loaded hourly cost (salary + benefits + overhead) and your managers', and multiply by the hours above. For most mid-market employers the direct labour cost of a "free" internal investigation lands in the thousands of dollars.

Most employers don't account for this. They see "no external invoice" and call it free. It isn't.

Opportunity Cost

While your HR director is spending those hours on investigation work, they're not:

• Developing compensation strategies
• Improving hiring processes
• Designing training programs
• Handling strategic HR projects that directly impact business performance

That's dozens of hours of opportunity cost at an hourly rate where that person could be generating value elsewhere.

Risk Cost: The Real Problem

Here's where internal investigations become genuinely expensive.

Internal investigations, conducted by people without investigation training, frequently miss things. They ask leading questions. They fail to document consistently. They let personal relationships influence their approach. They skip standard procedures.

The result: findings that don't hold up. Respondents successfully claim bias. Complainants feel unheard. You end up re-investigating, or facing a Ministry of Labour order to investigate properly.

When an under-resourced investigation reaches an employment tribunal or the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the cost compounds:

• Tribunal awards where investigations were absent, inadequate, or biased — recent public decisions put real numbers on this, from the HRTO's award of nearly $60,000 in AB v. Cooksville Hyundai for an unreasonable and inadequate investigation, to the OLRB's nearly $200,000 reprisal remedy in the Randstad case.
• Ministry of Labour orders to re-investigate — including the power to order an impartial external investigator at the employer's expense — effectively doubling your investigation cost.
• Wrongful dismissal claims triggered because employees felt the investigation was biased, with defence costs accruing before any award or settlement.

An internal investigation that's found deficient in tribunal proceedings can cost many multiples of a properly scoped external one to remedy.

The real cost of an under-resourced internal investigation isn't the staff time. It's the staff time plus the downstream risk.

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What Drives Investigation Cost: The Complexity Factors

Investigation cost isn't random. Specific factors predictably increase scope and timeline:

Number of Witnesses

Each witness adds billable hours: scheduling, interview prep, interview time (typically 45–90 minutes), follow-up documentation, and possible re-interviews.

A fifteen-witness investigation is a multiple of a five-witness one — at any provider's rates. Witness count is usually the single biggest scope driver, which is why it anchors any credible quote.

Volume of Documentary Evidence

Email threads, chat logs, performance reviews, attendance records—all need review, organization, and cross-referencing with interview findings. Minimal documentation adds hours; hundreds of pages from multiple sources adds days. A complainant who forwards five hundred pages of email evidence materially expands the scope — and the fee.

Geographic Scope

Ontario is large. If your company operates in Toronto and Sudbury, and the investigation involves witnesses in both locations, you're budgeting for travel time — a premium that grows with each additional location.

Remote interviews via video reduce this premium significantly, but many investigators (and witnesses) still prefer in-person for complex interviews.

Type of Complaint

Sexual harassment investigations are inherently more complex than code-of-conduct breaches. The skill required to conduct sensitive interviews around consent, power dynamics, and credibility assessment is higher. Most investigators price these at the higher end of their range, with discrimination, harassment, and psychological-injury allegations each carrying their own premium over a simple policy-violation matter.

These premiums reflect both the investigation's sensitivity and the expertise required to conduct it properly.

Timeline Pressure

If you need results in two weeks instead of six, investigators factor in rush premiums — a meaningful surcharge that reflects the investigator's need to displace other commitments. If a matter is genuinely urgent, say so at intake and get the urgency priced into the written scope.

Respondent Representation

If the person being investigated retains counsel, the investigation becomes more procedurally complex. Counsel will request specific procedures, may attend interviews, and will challenge findings afterward. That adds hours to the timeline — and cost to the fee.

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Fixed-Fee vs. Hourly Billing: Understanding the Trade-Off

Investigators offer two pricing models. Understanding which suits your situation is critical.

Hourly Billing

How it works: You pay for every billable hour at the investigator's rate, plus expenses.

Pros:

• Investigator bears no efficiency risk; they can be thorough without financial pressure
• Scope uncertainty is accommodated—if more witnesses emerge mid-investigation, it doesn't inflate the cost per investigation
• You pay for what you get; no artificial caps to save the investigator money

Cons:

• Total cost is unpredictable. A "moderate" investigation could land anywhere in a wide band depending on what's discovered
• Incentives drift: hourly billing offers no structural reward for efficiency
• You can't budget tightly; you need a contingency reserve

Hourly billing is appropriate when: Scope is genuinely uncertain (initial complaint may reveal multiple allegations, or may be straightforward). You want to ensure thoroughness regardless of cost.

Fixed-Fee Billing

How it works: You agree on a total fee upfront for a defined scope. That's what you pay, regardless of how many hours the investigator ultimately spends inside that scope.

Pros:

• Budget certainty. You know exactly what this costs.
• Incentive alignment. The investigator benefits from efficient methodology; you both win if they complete it quickly.
• Simpler contract. No disputes about billable hours, no surprises.

Cons:

• Investigator bears efficiency risk. If the investigation becomes more complex mid-stream, they may push to conclude rather than expand scope
• Scope definition becomes critical. Both parties need to agree upfront on what "moderate complexity" means
• If scope expands significantly, you may need to renegotiate

Fixed-fee billing is appropriate when: Scope is reasonably clear upfront. You want cost certainty and don't need flexibility mid-investigation. You prefer simpler contracting.

1205 Consulting's Approach

1205 quotes investigation fees after intake, based on the number of parties, evidence volume, urgency, jurisdiction, and reporting scope. You receive a written fee and scope before work begins — certainty for you, efficiency incentives for us. Details are on our services page.

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Cost Comparison: The Complete Picture

Here's the most important table in this entire post. This is how you compare apples to apples:

| Factor | Law Firm | Independent HR Investigator | Internal HR | 1205 Consulting | |--------|----------|---------------------------|-------------|-----------------| | Billing Model | Hourly, leverage team | Hourly or fixed-fee | Loaded staff time | Written fixed fee after intake | | Relative Cost | Highest | Mid-market | Lowest on paper; risk-loaded | Quoted before work begins | | Documentation Standard | Litigation-calibrated | Professional investigation file | Variable | Documented so an independent reviewer can follow evidence to findings | | Timeline | Longest (team coordination) | Often tighter (single investigator) | Fastest on paper; quality risk | Set in the written scope | | Post-Investigation Support | Billing continues | Varies | DIY | Separately scoped after findings | | Budget Predictability | Lower (hourly) | Varies by model | Low (risk factor) | High (written fee upfront) |

What this table really says:

If you need litigation-calibrated documentation and active legal support afterward, law firms are the right choice despite the premium.

If you want professional-grade rigor at lower cost, independent investigators deliver a documented, reviewable file with tighter timelines and lower fees.

If you're thinking "we'll just do it ourselves," recognize that you're gambling six-figure downstream risk to save a five-figure fee. It's rarely the right trade-off.

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The Cost of NOT Investigating: Why Cutting Corners Is Expensive

Here's what most employers don't calculate: the cost of inadequate investigation or no investigation at all.

Ministry of Labour Penalties

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), if a workplace hazard—including psychological harassment or violence—is reported, employers must investigate. Failing to do so, or conducting a sham investigation, triggers:

• Orders to investigate — including the inspector's power to order an impartial external investigator at the employer's expense
• Substantial fines — six figures for individuals and seven figures for corporations at the top end; confirm current maximums under section 66 of the OHSA — plus the new administrative monetary penalty regime that operates without prosecution
• Ongoing compliance orders requiring documented investigation protocols going forward

An investigation today costs far less than a prosecution, penalty, and multi-year Ministry oversight tomorrow.

Human Rights Tribunal Awards

The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) awards damages for failures to investigate, inadequate investigations, or investigations compromised by bias — and awards are uncapped, set case by case.

Public decisions put real numbers on the exposure:

• AB v. Cooksville Hyundai — the HRTO awarded nearly $60,000 where an investigation into sexual assault allegations was found unreasonable and inadequate.
• N.M. v. C.T., 2026 ONSC 365 — the Ontario Superior Court ordered $137,689 against a bar owner personally after a workplace sexual assault became a constructive dismissal.
• The Randstad reprisal case (OLRB, May 2026) — nearly $200,000 for a manager dismissed after filing a harassment complaint, where the employer's file could not support its shifting explanations.
• Bidwai v. Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board, 2024 HRTO 1092 — failing to communicate investigation results to the complainant was itself a breach of the Human Rights Code.

Wrongful Dismissal Litigation

If an inadequately investigated allegation leads to termination, and the terminated employee successfully claims wrongful dismissal, legal defence costs accrue before any award or settlement is counted.

Settlements and judgments vary widely with tenure, age, and role — a long-tenured senior employee with a botched investigation behind their termination can produce a six-figure combined bill. What a specific case would cost is a question for your counsel before the termination decision, not after.

Constructive Dismissal and Cascade Departures

When employees see that the company didn't properly investigate a harassment complaint, they lose faith in the organization. The message is clear: "If I'm harassed here, nothing will happen."

Result: other employees leave. A constructive dismissal claim from a departing employee carries its own defence costs. But the real cost is in lost talent, recruitment costs for replacements, and institutional knowledge that walks out the door.

A single badly handled investigation can trigger a cluster of key departures — and replacement and ramp costs compound quickly at that point.

Reputational Damage

In the age of Glassdoor, social media, and public labor advocacy, poorly handled investigations damage reputation. Prospective employees see reviews from former staff describing bias or inaction on harassment.

This doesn't appear on an invoice, but it's real. Assume that a public reputation for mishandling complaints raises both your recruitment costs (you have to pay more to attract talent to a firm known for poor investigation practices) and your voluntary turnover.

For a 200-person company, this compounds quickly.

Concrete Scenarios

Scenario 1: The "Free" Internal Investigation That Cost Six Figures

Illustrative composite — not a single client matter. A mid-market manufacturing firm investigated an allegation of supervisory harassment in-house. HR conducted interviews, found no wrongdoing, and closed it. The complainant filed an HRTO claim alleging the investigation was biased (the investigator was the respondent's peer).

In the composite: a five-figure damages award, a five-figure legal defence bill, and a required re-investigation by an external firm — plus reputational damage leading to staff departures and their replacement costs. The internal "savings" of a few thousand dollars in staff time became a six-figure total.

Scenario 2: The Deferred Investigation That Became a Ministry Case

Illustrative composite — not a single client matter. An Ontario-based tech company received a harassment complaint. They deferred investigation pending a staffing change. Two months passed. The complainant filed a complaint with the Ministry of Labour alleging unaddressed workplace hazard.

The Ministry ordered an investigation, imposed ongoing reporting requirements, and examined the firm for failing to investigate in a timely way. The investigation the firm could have commissioned on its own terms became a required external investigation on the Ministry's terms — plus Ministry oversight, penalties, and legal advice on compliance. The delay multiplied the bill.

Scenario 3: The Skipped Investigation That Led to Wrongful Dismissal

Illustrative composite — not a single client matter. A hospitality company received a sexual harassment allegation. They terminated the respondent without investigating (citing "zero-tolerance policy"). The respondent sued for wrongful dismissal. Discovery revealed no investigation had occurred; the allegation was heard only from the complainant.

In the composite: a five-figure legal defence bill plus a five-figure settlement — a combined six-figure total.

A professional investigation conducted before any disciplinary decision would have cost a fraction of that, produced findings a reviewer could follow, and likely avoided the lawsuit entirely.

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How to Budget for Workplace Investigations: Practical Planning

Most employers have no investigation budget. Then an allegation emerges, panic sets in, and they make expensive, reactive decisions.

Here's how to plan strategically.

Rule of Thumb: Annual Budget

For an organization with 50–500 employees, budget annually for investigation readiness — sized to at least one moderate-complexity investigation at current market rates (get a written quote range from a provider at intake; fees are quoted on the number of parties, evidence volume, urgency, jurisdiction, and reporting scope).

The readiness budget covers:

• A reserve for one moderate-complexity investigation
• An investigator retainer or standing arrangement for urgent cases
• Training for HR staff on investigation procedures
• Legal consultation on investigation strategy (not full law firm involvement)

For organizations with 500+ employees, scale the reserve up — one to two investigations annually is a realistic planning assumption.

For organizations under 50 employees, a smaller reserve is typically sufficient; most investigations in this cohort are straightforward.

Consider Investigation Retainers

Some experienced investigators and smaller law firms offer annual retainer arrangements: you pay a fixed annual fee and get discounted investigation rates in exchange.

Benefits:

• Pre-established relationship; the investigator knows your organization and culture
• Discounted rates relative to standard fees
• Priority scheduling if investigations are urgent
• Strategic consultation on investigation procedures before complaints arise

Retainers make sense if you have 100+ employees or a history of multiple investigations annually.

Investigation Insurance (EPLI)

Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) covers investigation costs in some policies — but whether yours does, and at what limits and deductibles, depends entirely on the specific policy wording.

Check your policy with your broker before you rely on it. Coverage triggers, limits, deductibles, and exclusions vary significantly between insurers and policy years.

Caveat: EPLI often covers investigation costs only for claims that ultimately go to tribunal or legal proceedings, and may exclude routine internal investigations that don't result in claims. Confirm the details with your broker before budgeting around coverage.

Budget Positioning

Frame investigations in your annual budget as HR operations expense, not legal expense. This typically improves approval odds, because:

• HR budgets are broader; investigation costs are a reasonable HR operations line item
• Legal budgets are scrutinized for discretionary spending; investigations can be mischaracterized as optional
• Positioning investigations as HR-driven emphasizes prevention and organizational health, not reactive legal defense

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Frequently Asked Questions: Addressing What You're Really Wondering

Q: How much does a simple workplace investigation cost in Ontario?

A: A straightforward investigation involving a single allegation, 3–5 witnesses, and minimal documentary evidence sits at the low end of any provider's range — with independent investigators typically well below law-firm totals. Internal HR investigation appears cheaper because there is no invoice, but it consumes tens of hours of staff time and adds significant risk cost if findings are later contested. Whatever the provider, insist on a written fee and scope after intake, before work begins.

Q: Are workplace investigation costs tax deductible?

A: How investigation costs are treated for tax purposes depends on how they're characterized, your corporate structure, and the facts of the matter — and treatment can differ for costs tied to litigation. Track the costs cleanly, keep the invoices and scope documents, and confirm the treatment with your accountant before relying on any characterization. This is not tax advice.

Q: Can I negotiate investigation fees?

A: Absolutely. If you're obtaining fixed-fee quotes from multiple investigators, the fees are negotiable—particularly for larger or more complex investigations. Law firms sometimes negotiate their rates (especially if you're willing to use hourly billing as a cost-control alternative). Independent investigators are often more flexible than larger firms. Always obtain multiple quotes and ask whether the quoted fee is their standard rate or subject to negotiation. For retainer arrangements or repeat investigations, discounting is common.

Q: Does insurance cover workplace investigation costs?

A: Some Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) policies include coverage for investigation costs, but with important limitations. Coverage often applies only to investigations tied to claims that proceed to tribunal or legal proceedings; routine internal investigations that don't result in claims are frequently excluded. Limits, deductibles, and triggers vary significantly by policy — whether your costs are covered depends on your specific policy wording, so review it with your insurance broker before you rely on it.

Q: How do I justify investigation costs to my CFO or board?

A: Frame investigations as risk mitigation and compliance, not discretionary HR expense. Key points:

• Regulatory exposure: Inadequate investigations draw Ministry of Labour orders — including inspector-ordered external investigations at the employer's expense — and, under the new AMP regime, direct penalties. A properly scoped investigation is insurance against that risk.
• Litigation risk: Public decisions show what mishandled matters cost — nearly $200,000 in the Randstad reprisal case and $137,689 in N.M. v. C.T., before defence costs. A thorough investigation upfront is the cheaper path.
• Reputational risk: Poor investigation practices raise recruitment costs and voluntary turnover — a compounding, uninvoiced expense.
• Human rights exposure: HRTO awards for inadequate investigations are uncapped and set case by case. A properly scoped investigation is ROI-positive against that tail risk.

Position investigation costs against your organization's actual litigation costs, fines, and settlements from the past 3 years. Boards generally recognize that preventive investigation spend is far cheaper than reactive legal spend.

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When to Call 1205 Consulting: Transparent Pricing, No Surprises

You deserve to know what you're paying for before you commit.

At 1205 Consulting, investigation fees are quoted after intake, based on the number of parties, evidence volume, urgency, jurisdiction, and reporting scope. You receive a written fee and scope before work begins. No surprises. No hidden billable hours.

We handle investigations that are:

• High-stakes enough to require professional rigor but don't need full law firm overhead
• Time-sensitive — the written scope sets the expected investigation timeline, and urgency is priced explicitly at intake
• Focused on independent fact-finding, not litigation positioning
• Conducted by investigators with deep HR expertise and Ontario employment-law literacy

The investigation mandate is limited to independent fact-finding and the agreed report. Any remediation, training, policy, or HR support is separately scoped after findings are delivered — and only where independence, fairness, and client counsel permit it.

How we scope and quote is set out on our services page. After an intake conversation, you receive a written fee and scope before any work begins.

Book a confidential call with our team to discuss your situation. We'll outline what your investigation likely costs and why, with no pitch, no pressure.

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Related Reading

• Law Firm vs. HR Investigator: Which One Should You Use?
• Complete Guide to Workplace Investigations in Ontario
• Am I Legally Required to Investigate? Your Ontario Compliance Obligations
• Workplace Harassment Investigation Training for Ontario Employers
• Ontario Employer Obligations Under OHSA Section 32.0.7: A Compliance Guide
• Workplace Investigations Services & Transparent Pricing
• Workplace Investigations for Private Members' Clubs
• The Board's Guide to Workplace Investigations

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Final Thought

Investigation costs aren't arbitrary, and they're not a surprise if you understand what drives them.

The employers who struggle most are those who either under-invest (saving five figures today, spending six tomorrow in litigation and Ministry oversight) or over-invest (hiring law firms for straightforward cases that don't require litigation-grade rigor).

The sweet spot is understanding your actual needs, matching them to the right provider, and budgeting accordingly. This guide gives you that framework.

Your next investigation doesn't have to be a guessing game. Now you know how the pricing works, the real risks, and the real options.

Make the decision that fits your situation.

This guide is general information — market conditions change and every matter is different. Fee, insurance, and tax treatment for a specific situation are questions for your provider, broker, accountant, and counsel.