Private operators may soon face new insurance costs
Ontario plans to extend mandatory Workplace Safety and Insurance Board coverage to about 29,000 health-care and support workers in privately operated retirement homes, group homes and foster homes, closing a gap in protections for front-line staff.
The measure is set to form part of an upcoming package of labour law changes. If passed, privately run residential care facilities that are now outside mandatory coverage under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act would have to register with the WSIB and pay premiums, bringing them into Ontario’s no-fault workplace insurance system.
The proposal would bring private residential care workers into the same mandatory workplace insurance framework that already applies in many publicly operated care settings. A 2021 provincial consultation paper found that some personal support workers and developmental support workers could work part of the day in a covered setting and part in an uncovered one while performing similar duties, creating uneven treatment.
The affected workforce could include nurses, personal support workers, resident care workers, social workers, occupational therapists and operations staff.
What workers stand to gain
More than 75% of employers in most sectors are already subject to mandatory WSIB coverage, while the board covers more than five million workers across over 300,000 workplaces.
The WSIB is funded through employer premiums and provides no-fault insurance for work-related injuries and illnesses. Workers with accepted claims may receive wage-loss replacement, health-care benefits and return-to-work support. Ontario’s 2021 consultation paper said workers who miss time due to a workplace injury can receive loss-of-earnings benefits worth 85% of net take-home pay, along with access to medical treatment, retraining support and survivor benefits in eligible cases.
Labour Minister David Piccini said workers in private residential care settings face physical risks while supporting clients and responding to emergencies.
"If someone is hurt lifting a client, responding to a behavioural incident or dealing with a medical emergency, they may not have access to wage replacement (currently)," Piccini said. "They may not have access to proper medical support, and they may not have that clear path back to work."
Long-running calls for change
Ontario said about 165,000 workers were employed in the nursing and residential care facilities sector in 2025, underscoring the scale of the province’s care workforce.
The proposal follows repeated calls from unions and opposition legislators for mandatory coverage in these settings.
SEIU Healthcare said it had pressed for the change for years and welcomed the move.
"Care workers deserve a better deal to recognize their contributions," said SEIU Healthcare president Tyler Downey. "But for too long, care workers in group homes and retirement homes have done that job without the protection they should have had when they were hurt on the job, and that's why today matters so much."
Ontario interim Liberal leader John Fraser said he had introduced private member’s bills six times seeking similar protections, including one attempt voted down by Progressive Conservative members in 2023.
"(Piccini) was probably the fourth or fifth minister I brought it up to, so I've got to thank him for doing it," Fraser said. "It's a great day for these folks who really deserve to have coverage."
A targeted measure with wider gaps still in place
The announcement addresses a gap affecting private retirement homes, group homes and foster homes, but labour groups said many Ontario workers still remain outside mandatory WSIB protection.
CUPE Ontario said more than 1.5 million workers in the province, including many in child care and other physically demanding sectors, are still excluded from mandatory coverage.
The Ontario Compensation Employees Union said wider mandatory coverage would provide more consistent worker protections across sectors.
