For the record: 2010 maximum insurable earnings Some employer advocates have questioned the 4% increase in the maximum insurable earnings (MIE) for 2010, and proposed separate MIEs for injured worker benefits and employer premiums. Legislation requires the WSIB to determine the maximum insurable earnings (MIE) each year. The MIE affects premiums for employers with workers who earn more than the MIE, as well as benefits for those workers. Changes to the MIE are directly linked to changes in the average earnings in Ontario as measured by Statistics Canada, and provisions under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. For 2009, Statistics Canada changed the way it sets average earnings. The new methodology better-reflects the particular characteristics of provinces and territories and incorporates quality indicators to improve reliability. This is not the first time Statistics Canada has changed its methodology. Such changes are infrequent and intended to improve the accuracy and reliability of the employment and wage data. Changes by Statistics Canada can either increase or decrease the expected change in average wages used in determining the WSIB’s MIE. For Ontario, the recent change in methodology resulted in an upward revision in earnings in 2010. Based on July 1, 2009, Statistics Canada information, the 2010 MIE is calculated to be $77,600, which is a four per cent increase from the 2009 MIE of $74,600. Although the annual increases in MIE for most years have ranged from 2% to 3%, there have been other years when the increase has been greater. For example, in 2002, the MIE increased by 6.6%. The MIE applies equally to limit both injured worker benefits and the amount of wages used to calculate employer premiums. This is standard practice among other major workers compensation boards in Canada, and in the wider insurance industry, where premiums are tied as closely as possible to the amount of coverage provided.