Legislative assembly for the province of Ontario seen in May 2017. (David Whelan/Public Domain)
Ontario has announced plans to expand workplace safety and insurance coverage to health care and support staff in privately managed residential care facilities, retirement homes, and group homes.
The legislation, if passed, will be part of a broader set of changes to labour rules in the province, Labour Minister David Piccini said in an April 8 press conference in Hamilton.
He said details of those measures will be introduced “in the coming days,” but noted that the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) coverage he was unveiling would close a “long-standing gap” for the nearly 30,000 workers providing care in private facilities.
WSIB coverage in Ontario operates as a no-fault insurance system designed to protect workers and employers by offering benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses. This coverage includes medical expenses, rehabilitation, and lost wages for employees, while shielding employers from legal action.
Piccini said the nature of personal care has shifted over the years from institutions to more community-style work.
“As that care has shifted into those communities, with it, the risks have followed, but the coverage has not,” Piccini said.
Care workers often support people with a complex set of needs in high-risk environments, he said, noting that they often work alone while dealing with physical aggression and medical emergencies.
“They do this work with compassion and dedication, and they deserve to know they’ll be protected if something goes wrong,” Piccini said, adding that benefits should have been offered long ago.
“This took too long, I acknowledge that,” he said. “It is long overdue.”
If the legislation becomes law, it would give workers in all privately operated residential care facilities the same protections as those in publicly operated facilities, Piccini said. Personal support workers, registered nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, and operations staff could be eligible for this coverage.
The shortage of personal support workers has been a growing issue in Ontario for several years, the minister said.
Government figures obtained by The Canadian Press indicate the province will require more than 50,000 additional personal support workers by 2032—a forecast that highlights staffing difficulties faced by front-line care workers.
In November 2023, the government earmarked $300 million to help recruit and retain thousands of new personal support workers across Ontario over a three-year period. Incentives of up to $25,400 are available to students and recent graduates of personal support worker education programs through 2026.
Piccini said offering coverage for illness and injury on top of other government measures will “create a more attractive working environment” and could entice more people to consider the field as a career.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.