Ontario's safety community gathered in Markham for a full day of research, policy debate and practical insight
About 300 safety professionals gathered at the Hilton Suites in Markham on May 7 for the New Horizons in Safety Summit 2026, organized by 4S Consulting in partnership with WSIB Ontario and built around a single question: why does a gap still exist between what researchers know, what policy says, and what actually happens on the job?
Bridging the gap between academia and practice
Ron Kelusky, advisor to 4S Consulting and former Chief Prevention Officer at the Ontario Ministry of Labour, framed the event as part of a longer push toward professionalizing occupational health and safety in Canada. "It's about bridging the gap between academia and practicality," he said. "Simply training somebody but not being able to measure whether that training made a difference is important, both from an economic point of view and an effectiveness point of view."
Sobi Ragunathan, vice president of operations, strategy and partnerships at 4S Consulting, said the conference drew safety leaders from all over province, including some who compete in the marketplace. "There's opportunity for all of us," Ragunathan said. "We just need to work together as system partners."
AI adoption is outpacing policy, and workers are leading the way
Dr. Arif Jetha, associate scientific director and scientist at the Institute for Work and Health (IWH), delivered some of the day's most striking numbers. Only 12 per cent of Canadian companies have adopted AI to produce goods or deliver services, according to Statistics Canada. Yet a KPMG survey found 51 per cent of Canadian employees already use generative AI at work, without formal guidance or workplace policy.
"Workers are kind of doing it on their own, without any sort of guidance, guardrails or advice," Jetha told the audience. His research found just 26 per cent of health and safety leaders report their firms are using AI for OHS purposes, while 17 per cent did not know whether their organization was using the technology at all.
Jetha recommended organizations establish AI oversight committees modelled on joint health and safety committees, build AI literacy at all levels, and demand transparency from vendors. Sabesh Kanagaretnam, CEO and President of 4S Consulting, urged a problem-first approach. "Start by asking: what do you want to do that you're struggling with," he said, "and then explore how AI can help solve that specific problem."
Bill 30 brings new tools and new obligations to Ontario employers
A panel on Bill 30, Ontario's Working for Workers Act 7, examined two significant enforcement additions. Jules Antz Gray, Assistant Deputy Minister at MLITSD, explained that the legislation establishes ISO 45001 and COR 2020 certifications as equivalent for public sector procurement, resolving a years-long trade barrier for companies working across municipal jurisdictions.
Bill 30 also introduced administrative monetary penalties, described by panellists as functioning like traffic tickets handled within the ministry rather than through courts. Creative sentencing provisions, pending regulation, will allow courts to order companies to develop safety training programs rather than simply pay fines, an approach Alberta has used with measurable results.
Piccini outlines new safety commitments and national ambitions
Ontario Labour Minister David Piccini opened the summit with a sweeping address that tied workplace safety directly to the province's nation-building agenda, pointing to new nuclear reactors, the largest public transit build in North America, and a critical minerals sector that he said will need more than 400,000 skilled trade workers over the next decade.
Piccini touted Ontario's record of holding the lowest lost-time injury rate in Canada for more than a decade, with injury rates declining by more than 13.5 per cent over the past five years. He credited partnerships between workers, employers, trainers, and government, and pointed to $1.5 billion invested through the Skills Development Fund since 2021, supporting more than a thousand training projects across the province.
On the legislative front, the minister detailed several concrete announcements. Ontario launched Canada's first occupational exposure registry, a secure digital tool allowing workers to voluntarily record hazardous substance exposures throughout their careers. A $125 million WSIB investment will fund a new mine rescue training centre in Sudbury, which Piccini said will make Canada a world leader in mine safety. He also confirmed that CSA-approved respirators and Type 2 hard hats will be mandated on work sites under forthcoming legislation.
Piccini also highlighted how Ontario is leading a harmonization plan for safety training standards nationwide, covering working at heights, trenching, and mobile elevated work platforms. "Rising tides lift all boats," he said, framing the initiative as a way to eliminate duplicated requirements for workers moving between provinces on major projects.
On technology, the minister urged the sector to proceed carefully. "AI and technology must be implemented thoughtfully, ethically, and with a clear understanding of the impact on workers and safety culture," he said, adding that done right, the tools could enable better hazard detection, predictive insights, and faster incident response.
