Ruined by WSIB

Hey fellow wcr’s I fear I might have to close up shop (residential at least). Starting in 2013 the Government of Ontario, Canada is making WSIB (workplace safety and insurance board) MANDATORY for anyone that falls under the classification of construction. This applies to people who are independent operators and owner/operators. To put this in perspective I already have to charge 13% tax -HST- and now WSIB will require me to pay another 18% in WSIB!!!
How can I stay in business legally? In 2 years that means my bill will have grown by 31% WHILE I DON’T MAKE AN EXTRA CENT!

Sorry to vent but I don’t know what to do

Would this be the BC version of WorkSafeBC aka WCB? I pay 9.8% but that’s just for payroll, it doesn’t cover me. Sorry to hear, doing business is tough in Canada.

Talk to Mark Strange about this problem. He is in Canada. ( I think ). Best of luck to you dude.

Why are you falling under the classification of construction if you are just cleaning/maintaining glass? Uless you do a lot of ccu. Any links to articles on this?

Okay, just found a link.
FAQ - Mandatory Coverage in Construction

So why do you think this affects you or me for that matter?

Even if you were a sole proprietor in the construction trade, that data sheet I linked to states that you are exempt if you are hire/paid directly by a home owner for residential work.

Say, who’s got you all scared and worked up over this? Give me his name and I’ll kick his…

I talked to wsib on Friday. Where did it say you are exempt if hired directly by the homeowner?

And I actually do quite a lot of ccu in my area.

Is that a picture of you performing a magic trick, or is is just rotated sideways?

Check my,link again. FAQ - Mandatory Coverage in Construction

It’s the third asked question on exemptions.

I’m pretty sure most people on the other end of the line at WSIB are employed to bringin as much money as they can.

Remember, the WSIB has only one purpose: to generate as much revenue as possible for the government of Canada.

Get some advice from an [U]accountant[/U] that has experience in taming this over-anxious organization, and who knows where the lines really are, before you decide to panic.

Hey Garren

It’s not as bad as you think. I’ve been Paying WSIB premiums for a number of years here in Ontario. It can get expensive and you really have to know your numbers when you quote.

Give me a call sometime and i’ll tell you how i handle it.

Also I simply walk away from construction jobs. I find there is way to many headaches, try and focus on building up your regular customer base.

do you have any employees Ashley or did you just get it to satisfy some customer requirement?

Ive got disability insurance and they’ll send a letter for any client that asks for wsib to show I’m covered.

Yes i have 2 employees

on a side note: I actually find having WSIB coverage helps me, mainly on the commercial side. More and more companies are asking for proof of coverage. This actually weeds out a ton of the compititon because they don’t have the proper coverage.

Well looks like I’m being affected by this new WISB rule. I have a construction company holding my check for work I did for them fixing screens. Until I provide proof of WSIB or WSIB clearance, they can’t release it. law also states that any subcontractors THEY work with must comply or they can get in trouble.

I’m calling WSIB on Monday to get this all straighten out.

Funny thing is, this new rule is the governments way of leveling the playing field and combatting the underground economy. But the ones these new rules hurt are independent contractors like me who got private disability insurance and liability insurance to operate lawfully and responsibly. The underground economy is still going to go by a “don’t ask, don’t tell” methodology. In a way it’s like the gun registry. Criminals won’t register their guns. Duh!

If the govt is charging an extra 31%, you need to pass that on to your customers.

If you want to “make and extra cent”, raise your prices more than 31%.