Despite the chaos and economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) won’t raise employer premiums in 2021.

It won’t lower them either.

The board announced a rate freeze for 2021 during its annual general meeting on October 1. Held virtually, the session featured presentations and updates on various initiatives from chair Elizabeth Witmer and president and CEO Tom Teahen.

One of the reasons the board was able to freeze rates for 2021 was the fact that it had retired its operating deficit—its unfunded liability—in 2018. The board ended 2019 with a sufficiency ratio of nearly 114 percent, and expects to maintain a ratio of between 112 percent and 115 percent through the end of 2020.

“By holding premium rate levels for 2021 we are giving Ontario businesses some certainty in these uncertain times,” said Witmer. “Being in a strong financial position allows us to maintain services for people who need them and hold premium rates steady.”

The news might come as a disappointment to those in the construction industry in particular who had seen their average rates drop by 63 percent over the past four years. The board said it took its decision in the interest of fairness.

“Any good performances achieved in 2020 will not be lost,” said Teahen. “Those performances will be calculated into future years’ rate decisions.”

It added that wages paid under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy would not be counted as insurable earnings for employers, and that it had created a G6 class exclusive to residential construction. That new class for residential firms is expected to decrease the rates of those firms remaining in class G5, which is now exclusively for non-residential construction.

The board also announced that any company that deferred its premiums this spring as a result of the economic impact of the COVID pandemic would be given until January 1, 2021 to start repaying those premiums, and have until June 30, 2021 to complete repayment without interest or penalty. Witmer said that thousands of businesses had taken advantage of the opportunity to defer premiums.

The WSIB launched of its Health and Safety Excellence Program (HSEP) last year with the aim of giving businesses the opportunity to refine elements of their health and safety programs, and earn rebates for strong performances on discrete modules. Witmer announced that the program was adapted in 2020 in light of the pandemic. Five of the 36 topics under the HSEP program were adjusted to include thinking around pandemic responses.

“The impact of this program will be felt for years to come,” said Witmer. “Making workplaces safer makes sound business sense. It helps workers be more confident and more productive, which is ultimately better for a company’s bottom line.”

Finally, Witmer and Teahen outlined some of the measures the board put in place this spring to help manage claims and protect its staff during the pandemic. The organization’s 4,000-some employees are mostly working remotely, while the board has introduced a series of online tools to allow workers, employers and healthcare providers to access the services and information they need to submit and manage claims.

“Now more than ever people are demanding access to services online,” said Teahen. “Being able to follow their claim in real time gives people 24/7 access to the information they need. And they can easily send us messages online without ever having to wait on hold.”