Review of Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Launched

The Ontario government has announced that it has appointed two experts to conduct an Operational Review of the WSIB. It 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.

The Review will focus on:

• Financial oversight: the sustainability of the 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.

The expert reviewers are Sean Speer and Linda Regner Dykeman. Ms. Regner Dykeman is an expert in insurance, with 25 years of commercial insurance with expertise in underwriting, operations, compliance, business development and strategy. Mr. Speer is an expert in public policy at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. His expertise is in Canadian public administration and economic policy.

This Review is an important process to determine both the operation and the future structure of the WSIB and the services it delivers. It has achieved full funding of the system and delivered lower premium rates as a result. However, it continues to carry high administrative costs and is top heavy in management.

The OGCA and our partners in the Construction Employers Coalition (CEC) will work with the reviewers to identify issues and opportunities to reform the system. A final report will be issued by the end of the year.