Ontario paramedics filed workplace injury and illness claims with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) at nearly five times the rate of police officers between 2023 and 2025, according to data obtained by the CUPE Ambulance Committee of Ontario (CACO). The union, which represents about 8,000 paramedics across the province, is calling on the Ontario government to reverse planned cuts to the WSIB.
The figures show 5,167 paramedic claims over the three-year period, filed by a workforce of about 13,000. That works out to roughly 397 claims per 1,000 workers. Firefighters filed 4,161 claims from a group of about 30,000, or about 139 claims per 1,000 workers, while police filed 2,146 claims from about 25,000 workers, or about 86 claims per 1,000. On that measure, the paramedic rate is roughly three times that of firefighters and 4.6 times that of police.
CACO chair Nikko Georgiadis said the numbers reflect the physical and psychological strain of the work and argued that the WSIB should be strengthened rather than reduced. The union says the agency's plan would eliminate roughly 500 jobs and close ten regional offices. In the union's view, that would weaken the support available to workers who have been hurt on the job, at the moment when the claim numbers are highest.
Mental health coverage is a second point of concern. Benefits vary sharply by employer and by employment status. In Niagara, full-time paramedics are entitled to $3,000 a year in mental health support and part-time paramedics receive none, while police in the region receive $20,000 a year. Niagara paramedics, represented by CUPE 911, face a possible strike. In Peterborough, full-time paramedics receive $500 a year and part-time paramedics receive nothing. Paramedics there, represented by CUPE 4911, reach a legal strike position on October 31.
Staffing is the third pressure point. The Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs estimates the province is short about 500 paramedics each year, with departures attributed to burnout and injury. The gap means existing crews absorb heavier workloads, which the union links to the injury trend it has documented.
The WSIB is the provincial agency that compensates workers injured on the job and supports their return to work, so changes to its staffing and office network reach directly into the claims process. Taken together, the claim data, the benefit gaps and the staffing shortfall form the union's case that Ontario must act on both compensation and support for its paramedic workforce.
It remains unclear whether the Ontario government will reverse the WSIB cuts. The timing and outcome of any strike in Niagara have not been determined.
10
