This past Thursday the government introduced its Ontario Budget omnibus Bill 127 – Stronger, Healthier Ontario (Budget Measures) Act 2017. Among the proposed changes to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act in the bill (see Schedule 33) are measures to remove restrictions on entitlement to chronic mental stress (a policy already ruled unconstitutional by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal); eliminate reductions under the pre-1997 Act to permanent partial disability benefits based on eligibility for Old Age Security; and make changes to payments for loss of earnings and non-economic loss.
Final recommendations on reforms to employment and labour laws from the Changing Workplaces Review are expected in the coming weeks.