Union president calls layoffs a 'gut punch' with little warning and is concerned more could be coming
More than 460 employees at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) were told on August 19 that their jobs had been declared redundant, as the agency closed regional offices across Ontario and consolidated its claim and account management functions. The Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU/CUPE Local 1750), which represents WSIB staff, says the total number of jobs at risk climbs to 621 once a planned closure of the Waterloo office next year is factored in.
Harry Goslin, president of OCEU/CUPE Local 1750, says employees in Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, North Bay, Timmins, Kingston, St. Catharines, Guelph and Windsor were told their offices would not reopen. He says 238 of the affected jobs are in northern Ontario, and 131 are in Windsor.
"It's been a gut punch," says Goslin. "WSIB called all these people in, had people coming in on their vacations, telling them that their jobs are being made redundant, 466 of them. They dropped the bomb and then say they're not prepared to take any questions and just walked away."
No assurances on job security, union says
Goslin says the union was engaged ahead of the notifications, as required under the collective agreement, and negotiated some measures to soften the impact, but could not stop the redundancies from proceeding. He disputes WSIB's stated rationale that the cuts stem from its return to office mandate, saying that policy did not require the agency to abandon regional locations, and that claim volumes have not dropped.
"We've asked them, is this work going away? Has something dramatically changed with the number of volume of claims that come into the organization? They said, no, not at all," says Goslin. "In fact, from our own research, in some sectors the number of claims has actually gone up. So the work is not going away."
Workers have three weeks to decide whether to relocate, without long-term job security guarantees, Goslin says. He estimates a move from Windsor to London would cost a worker roughly $57,000, and says WSIB could not tell the union how much space is available at consolidation sites in London, Hamilton and three new Greater Toronto Area locations, a gap he called an admission of incompetence. The uncertainty echoes concerns raised during an earlier round of job losses at the agency last year, when the union also argued affected workers had few options.
WSIB says access to services has not changed
In a statement, WSIB said its services remain available across the province. "How people access our services has not changed and we continue to help with recovery and return to work and local health care supports," the agency said, adding it has relied on remote, telephone and local health care partnerships rather than storefront offices since the pandemic began in 2020.
WSIB said the office closures reflect "the difficult business decision to consolidate some claim and account management functions," and that affected employees will have access to relocation opportunities, resume writing and job search support, and continued benefits, including unlimited mental health support.
The changes come as the severe workload concerns raised during last year's strike remain unresolved, according to Goslin, who says WSIB has not followed through on the hiring commitments made after last year's six-week strike, including a pledge to hire 216 new decision makers.
Northern advocates warn of care gaps for injured workers
Steve Mantis, treasurer of the Thunder Bay and District Injured Worker Support Group and chair of the Research Action Committee with the Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups, says losing locally based staff will make recovery harder for injured and disabled workers in the north.
"To have someone in your local community who understands the community, that understands the economy, the employers, the healthcare system, means that you'll have a better chance of getting the appropriate referrals to the places that can help you most and be able to facilitate successful recovery, rehabilitation, and returning into the workforce," says Mantis.
He points to a workers' compensation appeal involving a paper mill employee on modified duties, restricted from lifting more than 10 pounds, as an example of what local knowledge prevents. The man's job was to clear "sticks of wood" from the mill yard, a term the tribunal thought was light work, and did not understand it referred to eight-foot logs weighing 80 to 90 pounds. Mantis also says the Thunder Bay group used to meet regularly with local WSIB staff before the pandemic, an access point he says has since disappeared, along with WSIB management's willingness to meet with injured worker advocacy groups.
A government review already underway
The layoffs follow an August 5 announcement from Ontario's Treasury Board that it would review WSIB alongside seven other provincial agencies, including Metrolinx and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, for efficiency and productivity. Goslin says the layoffs were already planned before that review began, and expects the review could lead to further cuts. He also says WSIB has not disclosed a Treasury Board-imposed cap on employee headcount that he believes sits below current staffing levels.
Goslin says the union is contacting MPPs and mayors in affected communities to try to preserve the jobs.
