The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has announced the elimination of more than 460 jobs as it closes nine regional offices across Ontario and consolidates some of its claim and account management functions. The affected offices are in Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, North Bay, Timmins, Kingston, St.
Catharines, Guelph, and Windsor. According to the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU/CUPE Local 1750), 238 of the affected positions are in northern Ontario and 131 are in Windsor. The union says the number of jobs at risk could reach 621 when the planned closure of the Waterloo office next year is included.Harry Goslin, president of OCEU/CUPE Local 1750, described the layoffs as a major blow to employees, saying many workers were given little warning and were told their positions were redundant without being given an opportunity to ask questions.
Although the union was consulted before the layoffs, as required by its collective agreement, it was unable to prevent the job cuts.The union also questions WSIB's explanation that the changes are connected to its return-to-office policy. Goslin argues that the policy did not require WSIB to close its regional offices and says the amount of work has not decreased. According to the union, claim volumes have remained steady and have even increased in some areas.
Employees have three weeks to decide whether to relocate, but Goslin says they have not been given guarantees about long-term job security. He also estimates that relocating from Windsor to London could cost an employee about $57,000.WSIB maintains that access to its services will not change because it has increasingly relied on remote services, telephone support, and local health-care partnerships since the pandemic began. The organization says the closures are part of a difficult business decision to consolidate certain functions.
Affected employees will be offered relocation opportunities, resume-writing and job-search assistance, continued benefits, and unlimited mental health support.The layoffs are also occurring amid concerns about WSIB's workload and staffing levels following last year's six-week strike. Goslin says the organization has not fulfilled commitments made after the strike, including a promise to hire 216 new decision-makers.The closure of regional offices has raised particular concerns among injured-worker advocates in northern Ontario. Steve Mantis of the Thunder Bay and District Injured Worker Support Group says locally based WSIB employees play an important role because they understand the local economy, employers, health-care system, and community.
He argues that removing this local knowledge could make it more difficult for injured and disabled workers to receive appropriate support and return to work successfully.Mantis provided an example involving a paper mill worker whose modified duties included clearing “sticks of wood” from a mill yard. A tribunal interpreted this as relatively light work, but the term actually referred to eight-foot logs weighing between 80 and 90 pounds. Mantis says situations like this demonstrate why local knowledge can be important when dealing with workers' compensation cases.
He also says local communication between WSIB staff and injured-worker advocacy groups has declined since the pandemic.The layoffs come shortly after Ontario's Treasury Board announced on August 5 that it would review WSIB and seven other provincial agencies for efficiency and productivity. Goslin says the job cuts were already planned before the review began but believes the review could result in further reductions. The union is now contacting local mayors and Members of Provincial Parliament in an effort to preserve jobs in the affected communities.Overall, the article highlights a major restructuring of WSIB that will eliminate hundreds of positions and close regional offices, while the union and injured-worker advocates warn that the changes could weaken local support for workers and lead to further job losses.
