SCARBOROUGH, ONT. — The Ontario government is proposing the first increase in nearly 30 years to income replacement benefits workers receive through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) if they are injured on the job.
If passed, the changes would increase WSIB Loss-of-Earnings (LOE) benefits to 90 per cent of a worker’s take-home pay, up from 85 per cent.
For example, a worker earning $60,000 a year would receive $2,411 more in benefits over one year, a release reads.
The proposed changes would also update the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act to ensure workers continue to receive supports if they are planning to work past 65.
Eligible workers would be able to continue receiving LOE benefits after that age if they planned to keep working, instead of automatically losing those benefits at age 65 under the current rules.
The WSIB adjusts benefits annually for cost-of-living increases based on the Consumer Price Index. Its current average premium rate is $1.23 per $100 of insurable earnings. The province states this is the lowest in more than 50 years.
“No worker should have to worry about paying their bills while they recover from a workplace injury,” said David Piccini, minister of labour, immigration, training and skills development, in a statement. “By proposing the first increase to income replacement benefits in nearly 30 years, our government is helping ensure injured Ontarians can focus on getting better.”
The proposed changes are part of a broader package of measures the government will introduce in the coming days, it notes.
