Vancouver's post-riot hangover is turning into a life-changing event for some individuals.

A handful of companies have fired people who were part of the riots, and it appears they are responding to public pressure.

One man who simply commented on the riots on his Facebook page got pink slipped by his boss. No one is even suggesting he did any damage or took part in the unrest.

Granted, his online comments were tasteless, but they were typed on his own time, away from work.

The connection to work was his Facebook page, which listed his employer. His boss received more than 100 emails by the next morning from people angry about the comments, and told a TV network that he fired his employee because the company's reputation was on the line.

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Labour law probably won't be on the boss's side should the employee decide to fight his dismissal, but most companies and most bosses can bank on their young employees to just walk away. Let's hope it's not a complete loss and the employee learned a tough lesson.

Legal advice for employers on one Canadian website suggests an employee can only be fired if their actions are "wholly incompatible" with the job they do. That may mean an off-duty cop, security guard or court employee could be fired for taking part in the riots, but not the Facebook user above, who worked as a carpenter.

The websites created to help identify the rioters through videos and still photos may be pushing a sort of vigilantism that's sweeping up some innocent bystanders along with the mob.

YouTube videos and photographs show people posing in front of burning police cars. Can we convict a person for burning the car based on such a photo? Can we reasonably demand they lose their job because they were there?

There's no doubt that guilt by association is occurring. Following an event that creates such an emotional response, common sense can easily be shoved aside in the search for the guilty.

But better to get it right. That's what justice is all about.

Cast a smaller and more accurate net, dear websurfers. Then moderate your complaints to employers. It's not a boss's fault if his employee threw a rock. It's the thrower's fault and they should pay a price in court.

And when complaints do land on a small business owner's desk or a middle manager's workstation, I hope they'll give their employee a chance to explain themselves before printing out a pink slip.

The end result of the 2011 Vancouver riots should be a way to prevent reoccurrences, or no one will be any better off than before.

Penalties and consequences: yes. Deterrence with stiff penalties: yes. But not revenge.

Does someone deserve to be fired if they rioted away from their workplace and on their own time? And if so, how can anyone be sure an employer has weighed the evidence fairly?