More changes are coming to benefits for injured workers provided through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
Proposed legislation will increase the amount of benefits from 85% to 90% of a worker’s annual salary.
Labour Minister David Piccini says it is the first increase in over 30 years.
“To put that in real terms, a worker earning $60,000 a year would receive $2,411 more in benefits over the course of the year,” says Piccini.
“That’s a meaningful increase that is long overdue.”
The legislation also proposed to allow benefits to continue after a worker reaches 65.
It is something that injured workers’ groups have long requested.
Piccini calls the age cap discriminatory and needs to be removed to reflect a changing Ontario workforce.
“We know that more than 440,000 Ontarians age 65 or older are still in the workplace,” says Piccini.
“More people are working longer, contributing their skills, mentoring the next generation, and keeping our economy moving. A workplace injury doesn’t stop once someone reaches a certain age, nor should their coverage.”
He adds that if someone intends to keep working after 65, they should deserve the same job-site protections as anyone else.
If passed, the changes to WSIB would apply to eligible workers on or after the date the legislation is proclaimed.
