October 1, 2025 marked the 40th anniversary of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal, the Office of the Employer Adviser, and the Office of the Worker Adviser. When they were established in 1985, the workers’ compensation system was in a period of intense scrutiny and rapid change. Their creation was an important component of that reform.
All three agencies had their genesis in the landmark 1980 report of Professor Paul Weiler, who had been appointed by the Minister of Labour to “study and make recommendations” regarding Ontario’s workers’ compensation system.[1] Additional reports followed in 1983 and 1986.[2] He recommended fundamental changes to benefits and structure of the system. This initiated a period of rapid and profound change, as a series of legislative changes were enacted, including Bill 101, Bill 162, and Bill 165.[3] Many of the reforms were controversial.