London is set to become the new home of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s (WSIB) headquarters.
Minister of Labour, Training, and Skills Development Monte McNaughton announced the provincial government’s plan to relocate the head office from Toronto on Tuesday.
“This move will ensure that provincial agencies are spread out in communities all across Ontario,” said McNaughton, who spoke while surrounded by employees at Sleegers Engineered Products Inc. on Cuddy Boulevard in London. “Our plan will gradually move thousands of jobs to London and give workers here access to good jobs close to home so that families no longer have to abandon their hometowns to serve our province.”
McNaughton also noted the province will save money by moving out of downtown Toronto, where real estate costs are exceptionally higher than in other parts of Ontario.
“Why should we have the WSIB in a building, the most expensive in the country, 600,000 square feet with two floors of a call centre in downtown Toronto? It makes no sense,” said McNaughton.
According to provincial officials, the current WSIB headquarters costs more than $30 million annually and is the only government agency with a geographic head office restriction embedded in legislation. An amendment to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act will be required before the move to London can be completed.
The exact location of the London headquarters will be determined by the WSIB, McNaughton said. He did not specify how many new jobs, if any, would be created versus the number of existing positions simply being shifted from Toronto.
Acting London Mayor Josh Morgan, who was in attendance for the announcement, applauded the planned move.
“London is one of the fastest growing population centres and one of the fastest growing economies in the country,” said Morgan. “We are a city of agriculture and manufacturing, a city of health care, a city of education, and a city of financial services and insurance services and this move will help us to continue to diversify our economy, continue to provide good, well paying jobs to the citizens of London and those in the region.”
Premier Doug Ford was to attend Tuesday’s WSIB announcement, but was unable to due to a “last minute change of plans,” a representative from his office said.
Last week, the provincial government directed the WSIB to explore the possibility of increasing injured worker compensation to 90 per cent of pre-accident take-home pay. That is up from the current compensation of 85 per cent of pre-accident pay, but legislative changes needed to make it a reality wouldn’t be made until after the provincial election.
Read original story from London Ontario – BlackburnNews.com