Province plans to move WSIB head office to London, Ont.

The provincial government says it plans to relocate the head office of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) to London, Ont.

Currently based in Toronto, the government says the move is part of ‘Community Jobs Initiative.’

“The economic efficiency of getting out of downtown Toronto, that just seems to be the wrong place to be,” said Chair of WSIB, Grant Walsh.

Pro-Covid there were about 3,000 people working at WSIB headquarters, most commuting into Toronto

Walsh says the number of jobs moving to London will depend on the evolving opportunities for employees to work-from-home.

"I have no idea how many,” he adds. “We don’t want to force people to relocate in Ontario.”

Jobs at the current site include case managers, IT, finance, Human Resources and corporate leadership

Speaking in London on Tuesday morning, Minister of Labour, Training, and Skills Development, Monte McNaughton said, “Our government has heard loud and clear from businesses and workers alike that they expect more from the WSIB, which is why we are driving generational change at the organization.”

“We will be unveiling the budget on Thursday, and this will be highlighted in the budget,” explains McNaughton.

Deputy Mayor Josh Morgan welcomed the announcement of long-term white collar jobs coming to London.

While a location has yet to be chosen by WSIB, Morgan says, “I can say this is the kind of opportunity that works very well in our downtown and there are lots of opportunities there.”

Londoner Jeff Lang was recently chosen to be the new President of WSIB.

In 2019, the Ontario government commissioned an independent review of the Board’s operations.

The review’s report recommended the WSIB evaluate its properties to explore opportunities to decentralize and save money to better serve clients.