When WSIB moves its headquarters to London, Ont., will the office be downtown?
Office workers offer core area businesses a steady weekday customer base.
Struggling with more than a million square feet of vacant office space in core business districts, hope for a turnaround has been riding on last year’s announcement that the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s (WSIB) headquarters would move from Toronto to London, Ont.
Prior to the pandemic, 3,000 workers commuted each day to Toronto.
At the April 2022 announcement, the WSIB was unsure how many of those positions would move here given the evolving opportunities for working remotely.
However, multiple sources have told CTV News that the WSIB is now eyeing the 3M building at 300 Tartan Dr. near Veterans Memorial Parkway as a new headquarters.
The six-storey office building offers 134,500 square feet of space.
It was put on the market last summer when 3M reduced its need for local office space.
The online listing was recently updated to read “under contract”, so CTV News specifically asked if the WSIB is planning to relocate to the building on Tartan Drive rather than relocate to downtown London.
Office building at 300 Tartan Dr. in east London, Ont. as seen on June 2, 2023. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)
The Labour Minister’s Office reiterated that, “Our government promised to move the WSIB to London and we're getting it done. This decision will bring economic development and hundreds of well-paying jobs from downtown Toronto to the region.”
A response from the WSIB also included no reference to 300 Tartan Dr., “We have been actively looking to confirm the ideal location for our new head office for many months, and that comprehensive process continues.”
On June 6, a strategy to address core area vacancies will be considered by city council.
It determined that office vacancy in the core reached 24.6 per cent last fall (1.2 million square feet) in the downtown, midtown, and the Old East Village.
In a statement, Mayor Josh Morgan told CTV News, “Our understanding is that no final decision has been made on the location of WSIB. Until confirmation is received from the appropriate parties, I’m not in a position to comment on that aspect.”
At last April’s relocation announcement, Morgan discussed the possibility of bringing WSIB to the core.
“This is the type of thing that works very well in our downtown, there’s lots of opportunities there, but it’s not city council that will make that decision, it will be the good folks at WSIB,” he said at the time.
No timeline has been offered to announce the new location in London.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.