Please note: we are no longer accepting comments or submissions to the review.

About the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board

In Ontario, the workplace insurance system provides benefits and services to many workers who have been injured at work or who have diseases related to work.

Workplace insurance is a "no-fault" system based on collective employer liability. This means workers can get workplace safety and insurance benefits without proving that their employer was to blame for their injury or disease. They must only prove that the injury or disease was work-related. In return, employers get protection from being sued for work-related injuries by paying into an accident insurance fund.

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is an agency of the government of Ontario that administers the workplace safety and insurance system in accordance with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.

The WSIB’s mandate is to:

  • promote workplace health and safety
  • help injured workers return to work, recover and re-enter into the labour market
  • provide compensation and other benefits to injured workers and their survivors

The WSIB is completely funded by employer premiums and the income it earns on its investments.

It is governed by a board of directors. The board:

  • sets the policies and processes that determine how the WSIB sets and achieves its objectives
  • carries out the roles and responsibilities it’s assigned under the legislation
  • is accountable to the Government of Ontario for implementing its mandate, through the Minister of Labour

The WSIB recently eliminated its unfunded liability and is now in a more financially stable position. The unfunded liability was the difference between the cost of paying future benefits to workers and the money available in the insurance fund.

About the review

We appointed two experts to conduct an operational review of the WSIB. The review will:

  • provide the government with insights regarding the WSIB’s operations and how it compares to best practices in other jurisdictions and in the insurance industry
  • complement the work of an MPP-led task force that is reviewing all provincial agencies

The review will focus on:

  • financial oversight: the sustainability of the WSIB insurance fund and the controls over it
  • administration: the effectiveness of the current governance model and leadership structure
  • efficiency: the effectiveness and cost efficiency of the WSIB’s operations, including comparisons to other jurisdictions and private sector insurers

The reviewers will not be looking at how the WSIB makes decisions about claims (adjudication) or benefit levels, and will not be looking at individual claims.

The review is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

Read more about the review in the 2019 Ontario Budget, Protecting What Matters Most.

About the reviewers

Sean Speer has expertise in public policy and governance. He is a senior fellow in public policy at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Mr. Speer is a member of the Board of Governors for Lakehead University. Mr. Speer’s research expertise includes Canadian public administration and economic policy.

Mr. Speer holds an M.A. in History from Carleton University and has studied economic history as a PhD candidate at Queen’s University.

Linda Regner Dykeman has expertise in the field of insurance. She has more than 25 years of commercial insurance and leadership experience with expertise in underwriting, operations, compliance, business development and strategy. Ms. Dykeman has held various senior leadership roles where she has been responsible for the implementation and successful execution of business insurance strategy and broker relationship development.

Currently, Ms. Dykeman is the head of MidCorp Canada, a division of Allianz. She has her FCIP and CRM designations as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto.

How to participate

Comments and submissions were accepted until August 16, 2019.

Your privacy

Your feedback will be reviewed by the Ministry of Labour to help inform the review of the WSIB. It may also be published in the reviewers’ report.

We may use any personal information included with your submission, like your name or email address, to contact you to clarify your answers or ask for further information.

Your personal information will not be disclosed to any third party, except as required or authorized by law.

For questions on how personal information is protected to prevent unauthorized use or disclosure, please see our Privacy Statement or contact:

Ministry of Labour Freedom of Information and Privacy Office
400 University Avenue, 10th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 1T7
Phone: 416-326-7786