WSIB & MOL Compliance: What’s Changing in 2025?
Ontario employers face big changes in 2025 regarding WSIB compliance. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and the Ministry of Labor, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) have implemented new policy and enforcement approaches. This will better protect workers, make it easier for employers to fulfil their responsibilities, and help make workplaces across the province safer.
WSIB Updates for 2025
Reduced Premium Rates: WSIB has announced that the average premium rate for Ontario businesses is being reduced to $1.25, effective January 1, 2025, the lowest in more than 50 years. This decrease is estimated to save businesses some $150 million per year.
$2 Billion Surplus Rebate: The WSIB is issuing a $2 billion surplus repayment to Ontario employers in early 2025. The program also recognizes and provides incentives to firms investing in safety programs.
Relax the Policies for Foreign Agricultural Workers: Effective May 1, 2025, the WSIB has updated its approach for SAWP workers working for an employer based on enforcing the foreign recruitment and immigration process. In addition, the WSIB has announced that for SAWP workers who are injured or ill from work and not able to return to their agricultural jobs in Ontario, the WSIB will consider a loss of earnings benefit based on the worker’s home country work market rather than the Ontario work market.
MOL Compliance Initiatives for 2025
For the Fiscal Year 2025-2026, MLITSD has established a Multi-Sector Compliance Strategy, which is a compliance campaign targeted on education, outreach, and inspections in specific areas, which is between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026, as follows:
Preventing Workplace Violence: Focusing on policy development and enforcement to prevent violence in the workplace.
Material Handling: It involves dealing with vibratory hazards/facilities inherent in the handling and storage of materials in applications across many industries.
Slips, Trips, and Falls: Focusing on the most frequent cause of injuries in the workplace.
Industrial Hygiene: Compliance with regulations regarding chemical exposure & WHMIS training.
They’re a twofold plan: an initial training-and-outreach push, then targeted inspections to ensure compliance.
Legislative Changes Impacting Employers
Legislation changes: New requirements have been recently introduced under the Working for Workers Act.
Electronic Monitoring Policies: Employers must inform employees of any electronic monitoring being carried out and how and why monitoring is taking place.
Broader Harassment Policies: You’ve got to have a way to enforce in-person harassment laws, always, now also online.
Penalties Up: Fines for violating the Employment Standards Act have doubled, and corporations face fines of up to $100,000.
Preparing for Compliance in 2025
To successfully navigate these changes, employers need to:
Review and Revise Policies: Review all workplace policies, including safety and harassment policies, and make any necessary revisions.
Train Employees: Train employees on new compliance standards, such as electronic monitoring notices and new safety procedures.
Perform self-audits: Orderly evaluate activities at the work site to identify and remedy compliance problems before they spiral out of control.
Leverage Compliance Experts: You should work with health and safety experts to help you stay current on regulatory changes and the best methods.
To Wrapping UP
Keeping informed with WSIB and MOL updates is one of the stepping stones to staying compliant and creating a safe work environment. Employers that proactively adjust to these changes can save lives and costs and help build a culture of safety in Ontario workplaces.