WSIB to move head office to London, Ont.

Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) will be moving its headquarters to the former 3M Canadian headquarters.

The province announced the move on location at 300 Tartan Dr., just off Veterans Memorial Parkway, Thursday.

The move is expected to bring a $100-million boost to London’s economy.

“Our city and our region has (the potential) to be a player provincially and a player nationally,” London Mayor Josh Morgan said at the announcement.

“This is yet another example of that coming to fruition. A major provincial Crown corporation moves away from Toronto, and where do they pick across this province but here in this city, a fast-growing dynamic city and region.”

According to the Ministry of Labour, the WSIB’s current head office is located on one of the most expensive real estate blocks in the country in the heart of downtown Toronto.

“The WSIB costs in London will be 40 per cent lower than the costs in Toronto, helping the board save at least $70 million in real estate costs every year,” says David Piccini, newly appointed minister of labour immigration, training and skills development.

“(This) can be reinvested in supporting injured workers and delivering better services for employers. Today’s announcement is just part of our mission to ensure WSIB delivers more for workers and business in Ontario.”

The WSIB doesn’t use taxpayer money to fund its operations, instead collecting insurance premiums from employers.

Premier Doug Ford originally announced a plan to move the WSIB head office to London last year in the lead-up to the provincial election, as part of the Community Jobs Initiative, which plans to save taxpayer dollars and bring new jobs to Ontario communities by spreading out provincial agencies.

“By ensuring provincial agencies are spread out across Ontario, we’re helping more workers stay in their communities, near their families, near their friends and places they know and love while finding meaningful work.”

The new office is expected to open its doors in 2025 with at least 500 workers and is expected to generate at least 2,000 jobs in the London region over the next five years.