Statement on WSIB office closures and layoffs

ONTARIO BUILDING TRADES CONDEMN WSIB PLAN TO CLOSE REGIONAL OFFICES AND CUT 466 STAFF

The Provincial Building & Construction Trades Council is sounding the alarm over the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board’s (WSIB) plan to close most of its regional offices and lay off approximately 466 staff, a decision that will eliminate WSIB’s entire physical presence in Northern Ontario and severely weaken services across the province.

Severe Risks to Injured Workers and Employers: Under the current WSIB administration, service issues have already escalated:

• A 2024 internal survey found 56% of WSIB employees described the workplace as toxic, and 80% reported chronic understaffing.

• In 2025, job‑related anxiety and depression among WSIB staff rose to more than twice the national average, driven by excessive caseloads and inadequate resources.

Cutting 466 staff will:

• Deepen delays and inconsistencies in claims adjudication

• Reduce access for injured workers, especially in Northern and remote communities

• Undermine employer services and return‑to‑work coordination

• Further destabilize a system already struggling with morale and mental‑health‑related absences

WSIB’s financial position does not support these drastic measures:

• Since 2018, WSIB has returned over $21.5 billion in rebates to employers

• WSIB maintains one of the healthiest financial positions in its history

• WSIB is funded entirely through employer premiums not taxpayers

Targeting frontline staff and closing regional offices, especially in the North is neither necessary nor defensible.

These cuts come just before Labour Day, a time when Ontario celebrates workers, their contributions, and the institutions meant to protect them. Announcing mass layoffs and regional office closures on the eve of Labour Day sends a demoralizing message to the remaining WSIB workforce. It signals that their work, their commitment, and their well‑documented struggles with workload, mental‑health pressures, and chronic understaffing are being disregarded rather than addressed.

The Provincial Building Trades formally oppose WSIB’s plan to close regional offices and lay off 466 staff. These actions will harm injured workers, employers, and communities across Ontario.

We call on WSIB and its President Mr. Jeff Lang to immediately:

1. Halt the planned closures and layoffs

2. Provide a full, transparent rationale and impact analysis

3. Engage in meaningful consultation with labour, employers, and affected communities