Joined WSIB as an adjudicator
1991
You’ll never walk alone: remembering Matt Wilson
Matt Wilson is remembered as a gentle giant in Ontario’s health and safety community. Throughout his 30-year career with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), he formed many strong relationships and played an instrumental role developing several initiatives and making improvements to the health and safety system, leaving a lasting legacy.
He also inspired many of his colleagues as a respected leader, skilled public speaker, and a positive role model. He was beloved by those who worked with him, and credited with brightening the office with a sharp wit, easy laugh, and romantic obsession with all things Liverpool – whether it was the iconic football club (you didn’t call it soccer around Matt) or ‘80s bands like Echo & The Bunnymen.
“Matt Wilson was a real-life Ted Lasso, before anyone knew who that was,” says Rod Cook, Vice President of Workplace Health and Safety Services at the WSIB. “When one of his favourite bands played a concert online during the pandemic lockdown, Matt didn’t buy one ticket to watch at home on his sofa – he bought two, one for himself and one for his wife. He was always honest, positive, supportive, and he made sure a conversation ended with a laugh.”
The WSIB office where Matt used to work looks different these days.
The red-and-white memorabilia of Liverpool FC are gone, as is the familiar sight of Matt sitting down to open the lunch that his wife Linda made for him every day for more than 30 years. His rumbling laugh doesn’t roll across the room, and there are no more stories about growing up in Scarborough and following his father on early morning rounds as a milkman.
Matt’s loss is still deeply felt among his colleagues at the WSIB today.
Matt worked with the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development to review the WSIB’s legacy health and safety programs, identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement, leading to the development, design and launch of the WSIB’s Health and Safety Excellence program in 2019.
Diana Rea worked with him on the development of the program. She recalls the early days of program design and thinking about how to articulate the overall vision of the program.
“He had a real passion and vision for employees’ health and safety,” says Rea. “Matt really shone at articulating what we were trying to do and why. He would always say, ‘No more binders, no more paper.’ He was always thinking about the shop floor, the boots on the ground, and making it real for them.”
His colleagues say the successful program would not have come to be without his influence and ideas. For example, during a discussion on rebates, the conversation quickly got bogged down in how to calculate percentages of premiums and other technical details.
Matt got to work initiating discussions with Gilbeau to find ways to collaborate and potentially have them bring their unique approach to the Health and Safety Excellence program as a provider.
“He saw a chance for an underrepresented community to step in and help improve health and safety,” says Cook. “That spark of an idea led to Nokiiwin joining as a member to gain a better understanding of the program, and eventually become a provider, working in their community to bring more Indigenous-led businesses into the program.”
While the loss of Matt is still felt deeply by everyone who worked with him, his colleagues say there is much about him and his work that continues at the WSIB today.
Joanne Gordon worked with Matt for fourteen years and says he had a lasting impact on her.
“Not a single day goes by when I don’t think about him,” she says. “He was so involved in every aspect of what we do that we’re constantly reminded of him, and constantly thinking, ‘What would Matt do?’ And then, of course, we share a laugh.”
Matt left an important mark on policies that continue to improve the health and safety of Ontarians.
He also left behind intangible things that live on among his colleagues. “Matt used to always say, ‘Focus on what you can control,’” Cook recalls. “It’s advice I now give to my own daughters. It's such a simple thing, but there’s no point getting upset with things you can’t control. Matt knew how to be happy. He knew how to find satisfaction and contentment.”
At his celebration of life, the parking lot was full and the overflow crowd had to walk for what felt like a kilometre or more, Cook recalls.
“He had such an influence on everyone he met that people who had retired 10 or 15 years ago showed up to pay their respects,” Cook says. “He was a leader who had a big impact.”
One of Matt’s friends put together a montage of photos about his life. Near the end, there’s a video clip of Matt with friends singing Liverpool FC’s iconic theme, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” With his eyes closed and his arms wrapped around his friends, Matt sings:
When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high…
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm is a golden sky…
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain…
Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart…
And you'll never walk alone…
You will never walk alone.
Spotlight
“‘Listen,’ Matt said, ‘this rebate has to be simple and worth more to people than a case of beer on the weekend.’”
Since the program’s inception, in 2019, over 3,700 businesses have enrolled in various courses to develop and improve their health and safety programs, and the WSIB has distributed $40.6 million in rebates.
“He got to see his vision come to life, and that ultimately means he’s helped save lives as well,” says Cook. “Thousands of businesses today have better health and safety programs, and thousands more will also see improvements because of the program Matt helped create.”
Matt regularly travelled the province to make connections in the health and safety community. He regularly represented the WSIB and was always on the lookout for opportunities to forge new partnerships.
It was at a health and safety conference put on by the Nokiiwin Tribal Council in Thunder Bay that Matt saw one such opportunity. Matt was impressed by the Indigenous lens the Nokiiwin Tribal Council brought to the discussion around health and safety.
“When we talk about health and safety through an Indigenous lens, our worldview isn’t about ‘me’ first, it’s about ‘we’ first,” explained Audrey Gilbeau, Executive Director of Nokiiwin Tribal Council. “When we talk health and safety, the conversation always starts at community first.”
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is here to help. We are determined to reduce the impact of work-related injury and illness on people. We provide wage-loss benefits, medical coverage, and support to help people get back to work and back to what matters.
We are one of the largest insurance organizations in North America, covering over five million people in more than 300,000 workplaces across Ontario.
Company Profile
Bio
Spotlight
Milestones
Media
Accolades
Company Profile
Years of Experience
30
BASED in
Toronto
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM
Liverpool
Matt Wilson
Former Director, Performance and Information Effectiveness
After 30 years at the WSIB, Matt Wilson passed away in 2022. He leaves behind a loving family, an extended family of colleagues and a lasting legacy in the Ontario health and safety community.
Read on
“He got to see his vision come to life, and that ultimately means he’s helped save lives as well”
Rod Cook, vice president of workplace health and safety services, WSIB
Share
Milestones
2011
2012
2015
2016
2021
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2012
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2015
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2016
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2021
You’ll never walk alone: remembering Matt Wilson
Karen Adams has had a remarkable journey to her current role as CEO of Fundserv. Originally from Toronto, Adams earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics at Queens University, followed by an MBA in international finance at the University of British Columbia. After graduating, she set off across the globe, holding various positions with HSBC that took her to London, Dubai, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and Mumbai.
That global experience gave Adams a unique perspective, prompting her to develop a leadership style that’s based on developing relationships with each individual, listening and understanding to help them reach their potential. That approach goes well beyond her own team, allowing Fundserv to succeed in creating solutions for its members.
“Having worked in many different countries, people ask if I am an expert in multicultural leadership,” Adams says. “I always say there is no such thing because that assumes you manage people based on their background. I have learned that people all want the same things: to develop our careers, give our kids a good future, etc. When she returned to Canada learned that people all
“He had a real passion and vision for employees’ health and safety,” says Rea. “Matt really shone at articulating what we were trying to do and why. He would always say, ‘No more binders, no more paper.’ He was always thinking about the shop floor, the boots on the ground, and making it real for them.”
His colleagues say the successful program would not have come to be without his influence and ideas. For example, during a discussion on rebates, the conversation quickly got bogged down in how to calculate percentages of premiums and other technical details.
“‘Listen,’ Matt said, ‘this rebate has to be simple and worth more to people than a case of beer on the weekend.’”
Since the program’s inception, in 2019, over 3,700 businesses have enrolled in various courses to develop and improve their health and safety programs, and the WSIB has distributed $40.6 million in rebates.
“He got to see his vision come to life, and that ultimately means he’s helped save lives as well,” says Cook. “Thousands of businesses today have better health and safety programs, and thousands more will also see improvements because of the program Matt helped create.”
Matt regularly travelled the province to make connections in the health and safety community. He regularly represented the WSIB and was always on the lookout for opportunities to forge new partnerships.
It was at a health and safety conference put on by the Nokiiwin Tribal Council in Thunder Bay that Matt saw one such opportunity. Matt was impressed by the Indigenous lens the Nokiiwin Tribal Council brought to the discussion around health and safety.
“When we talk about health and safety through an Indigenous lens, our worldview isn’t about ‘me’ first, it’s about ‘we’ first,” explained Audrey Gilbeau, Executive Director of Nokiiwin Tribal Council. “When we talk health and safety, the conversation always starts at community first.”
From those forums, a common theme arose that has plagued the industry for years: the amount of paper required in transactions.
“We have a motto to ‘axe the fax,’ and we saw this opportunity where members didn’t want their staff going into the office, but there are still physical cheques going back and forth,” Adams explains. “We put in place, in just six months, Ad-Hoc Money Movement [A$M]. We responded to the industry and are in the process of replacing cheques, which I think is awesome. We launched in January and have seen so much volume. We think ultimately we are keeping people healthier by not having to travel into the office.”
Matt probably sang these words a thousand times over the years, but he also lived them. Whether at home, at the office, or in the broader health and safety community, Matt put these words into action. He built community. He fostered togetherness. He created programs, policies, and systems to ensure nobody felt they had to walk alone.
Matt Wilson passed away on September 11, 2022 after a heroic but all-too-quick battle with cancer.
He leaves behind his beloved wife, Linda, and his two daughters, Brittany and Alaynna, who will forever cherish their memories together. He is survived by an extended work family at the WSIB that misses him dearly, and he leaves a lasting legacy to the people of Ontario, who will continue to benefit from his vision and dedication to health and safety every single day.
While she’s proud of the strides Fundserv made in 2020, Adams acknowledges that it was a challenging time as a leader. Not only did she have to ensure Fundserv kept running efficiently as her team transitioned to working from home, but she was also filled with concern for her team members.
“I just worried about our employees, their mental health and if they would be OK,” Adams says. “I like to see people, so I set up one-on-ones just to connect with them.
Moving forward, Adams says Fundserv’s goals remain aligned with those of its members, and her team will continue listening and understanding what members need so the organization can evolve accordingly. She adds that she wants Fundserv to be so good at providing a secure and reliable service that members forget it’s there – and she wants the company to continue to inspire change in the industry.
“It is sad that it took a pandemic to recog-nize the cheque issue and solve it,” Adams says. “What we will do in the future is root out those things in the industry and not wait for a pandemic to ignite change. There is no reason we can’t change. Change, like auto-mation, will accelerate from now, and we’ll do our part to keep it going.”
Spotlight
Matt got to work initiating discussions with Gilbeau to find ways to collaborate and potentially have them bring their unique approach to the Health and Safety Excellence program as a provider.
“He saw a chance for an underrepresented community to step in and help improve health and safety,” says Cook. “That spark of an idea led to Nokiiwin joining as a member to gain a better understanding of the program, and eventually become a provider, working in their community to bring more Indigenous-led businesses into the program.”
While the loss of Matt is still felt deeply by everyone who worked with him, his colleagues say there is much about him and his work that continues at the WSIB today.
Joanne Gordon worked with Matt for fourteen years and says he had a lasting impact on her.
“Not a single day goes by when I don’t think about him,” she says. “He was so involved in every aspect of what we do that we’re constantly reminded of him, and constantly thinking, ‘What would Matt do?’ And then, of course, we share a laugh.”
Matt left an important mark on policies that continue to improve the health and safety of Ontarians.
He also left behind intangible things that live on among his colleagues. “Matt used to always say, ‘Focus on what you can control,’” Cook recalls.
“It’s advice I now give to my own daughters. It's such a simple thing, but there’s no point getting upset with things you can’t control. Matt knew how to be happy. He knew how to find satisfaction and contentment.”
Fundserv is the indispensable connectivity hub for the Canadian investment industry. Headquartered in Toronto, we electronically connect Manufacturers, Distributors, and Intermediaries, enabling them to buy, sell, and transfer investment funds. With more than 100 employees, Fundserv serves hundreds of members—executing up to 63 million yearly network transactions—and provides online access to more than 70,000 investment fund products.
Established in 1993, Fundserv is a private corporation that is owned by the industry we serve. Our 10 shareholders are a cross-section of Manufacturers, Distributors, and Service Providers who represent our members.
We operate using a cost-recovery model, meaning any unused profit may be rebated back to our members. In addition to our network and applications, we lead and facilitate industry committees and working groups that promote automation initiatives and establish the industry’s electronic standards.
By ensuring every trade is processed timely, accurately, and securely, Fundserv has rightfully earned a reputation for service excellence—a hallmark of more than 25 years in the investment industry.
Company Profile
“He got to see his vision come to life, and that ultimately means he’s helped save lives as well”
ROD COOK,
VICE PRESIDENT OF WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY SERVICES, WSIB
Years of Experience
30
BAsed In
Toronto
FAVOURITE SPORTS TEAM
Liverpool FC
Karen Adams
President and CEO at Fundserv
Before becoming CEO of Fundserv, Karen Adams held a variety of leadership roles around the world – and she learned that listening and understanding are key to both providing service and developing talent
Read on
Share
Share
Milestones
2011
2012
2015
2016
2021
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2012
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2015
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2016
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2021
You’ll never walk alone: remembering Matt Wilson
Karen Adams has had a remarkable journey to her current role as CEO of Fundserv. Originally from Toronto, Adams earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics at Queens University, followed by an MBA in international finance at the University of British Columbia. After graduating, she set off across the globe, holding various positions with HSBC that took her to London, Dubai, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and Mumbai.
That global experience gave Adams a unique perspective, prompting her to develop a leadership style that’s based on developing relationships with each individual, listening and understanding to help them reach their potential. That approach goes well beyond her own team, allowing Fundserv to succeed in creating solutions for its members.
“Having worked in many different countries, people ask if I am an expert in multicultural leadership,” Adams says. “I always say there is no such thing because that assumes you manage people based on their background. I have learned that people all want the same things: to develop our careers, give our kids a good future, etc. When she returned to Canada learned that people all
“He had a real passion and vision for employees’ health and safety,” says Rea. “Matt really shone at articulating what we were trying to do and why. He would always say, ‘No more binders, no more paper.’ He was always thinking about the shop floor, the boots on the ground, and making it real for them.”
His colleagues say the successful program would not have come to be without his influence and ideas. For example, during a discussion on rebates, the conversation quickly got bogged down in how to calculate percentages of premiums and other technical details.
“‘Listen,’ Matt said, ‘this rebate has to be simple and worth more to people than a case of beer on the weekend.’”
Since the program’s inception, in 2019, over 3,700 businesses have enrolled in various courses to develop and improve their health and safety programs, and the WSIB has distributed $40.6 million in rebates.
“He got to see his vision come to life, and that ultimately means he’s helped save lives as well,” says Cook. “Thousands of businesses today have better health and safety programs, and thousands more will also see improvements because of the program Matt helped create.”
Matt regularly travelled the province to make connections in the health and safety community. He regularly represented the WSIB and was always on the lookout for opportunities to forge new partnerships.
It was at a health and safety conference put on by the Nokiiwin Tribal Council in Thunder Bay that Matt saw one such opportunity. Matt was impressed by the Indigenous lens the Nokiiwin Tribal Council brought to the discussion around health and safety.
“When we talk about health and safety through an Indigenous lens, our worldview isn’t about ‘me’ first, it’s about ‘we’ first,” explained Audrey Gilbeau, Executive Director of Nokiiwin Tribal Council. “When we talk health and safety, the conversation always starts at community first.”
From those forums, a common theme arose that has plagued the industry for years: the amount of paper required in transactions.
“We have a motto to ‘axe the fax,’ and we saw this opportunity where members didn’t want their staff going into the office, but there are still physical cheques going back and forth,” Adams explains. “We put in place, in just six months, Ad-Hoc Money Movement [A$M]. We responded to the industry and are in the process of replacing cheques, which I think is awesome. We launched in January and have seen so much volume. We think ultimately we are keeping people healthier by not having to travel into the office.”
Matt probably sang these words a thousand times over the years, but he also lived them. Whether at home, at the office, or in the broader health and safety community, Matt put these words into action. He built community. He fostered togetherness. He created programs, policies, and systems to ensure nobody felt they had to walk alone.
Matt Wilson passed away on September 11, 2022 after a heroic but all-too-quick battle with cancer.
He leaves behind his beloved wife, Linda, and his two daughters, Brittany and Alaynna, who will forever cherish their memories together. He is survived by an extended work family at the WSIB that misses him dearly, and he leaves a lasting legacy to the people of Ontario, who will continue to benefit from his vision and dedication to health and safety every single day.
While she’s proud of the strides Fundserv made in 2020, Adams acknowledges that it was a challenging time as a leader. Not only did she have to ensure Fundserv kept running efficiently as her team transitioned to working from home, but she was also filled with concern for her team members.
“I just worried about our employees, their mental health and if they would be OK,” Adams says. “I like to see people, so I set up one-on-ones just to connect with them.
Moving forward, Adams says Fundserv’s goals remain aligned with those of its members, and her team will continue listening and understanding what members need so the organization can evolve accordingly. She adds that she wants Fundserv to be so good at providing a secure and reliable service that members forget it’s there – and she wants the company to continue to inspire change in the industry.
“It is sad that it took a pandemic to recog-nize the cheque issue and solve it,” Adams says. “What we will do in the future is root out those things in the industry and not wait for a pandemic to ignite change. There is no reason we can’t change. Change, like auto-mation, will accelerate from now, and we’ll do our part to keep it going.”
Spotlight
Matt got to work initiating discussions with Gilbeau to find ways to collaborate and potentially have them bring their unique approach to the Health and Safety Excellence program as a provider.
“He saw a chance for an underrepresented community to step in and help improve health and safety,” says Cook. “That spark of an idea led to Nokiiwin joining as a member to gain a better understanding of the program, and eventually become a provider, working in their community to bring more Indigenous-led businesses into the program.”
While the loss of Matt is still felt deeply by everyone who worked with him, his colleagues say there is much about him and his work that continues at the WSIB today.
Joanne Gordon worked with Matt for fourteen years and says he had a lasting impact on her.
“Not a single day goes by when I don’t think about him,” she says. “He was so involved in every aspect of what we do that we’re constantly reminded of him, and constantly thinking, ‘What would Matt do?’ And then, of course, we share a laugh.”
Matt left an important mark on policies that continue to improve the health and safety of Ontarians.
He also left behind intangible things that live on among his colleagues. “Matt used to always say, ‘Focus on what you can control,’” Cook recalls.
“It’s advice I now give to my own daughters. It's such a simple thing, but there’s no point getting upset with things you can’t control. Matt knew how to be happy. He knew how to find satisfaction and contentment.”
Fundserv is the indispensable connectivity hub for the Canadian investment industry. Headquartered in Toronto, we electronically connect Manufacturers, Distributors, and Intermediaries, enabling them to buy, sell, and transfer investment funds. With more than 100 employees, Fundserv serves hundreds of members—executing up to 63 million yearly network transactions—and provides online access to more than 70,000 investment fund products.
Established in 1993, Fundserv is a private corporation that is owned by the industry we serve. Our 10 shareholders are a cross-section of Manufacturers, Distributors, and Service Providers who represent our members.
We operate using a cost-recovery model, meaning any unused profit may be rebated back to our members. In addition to our network and applications, we lead and facilitate industry committees and working groups that promote automation initiatives and establish the industry’s electronic standards.
By ensuring every trade is processed timely, accurately, and securely, Fundserv has rightfully earned a reputation for service excellence—a hallmark of more than 25 years in the investment industry.
Company Profile
Years of Experience
30
BAsed In
Toronto
FAVOURITE SPORTS TEAM
Liverpool FC
Karen Adams
President and CEO at Fundserv
Career highlight
Before becoming CEO of Fundserv, Karen Adams held a variety of leadership roles around the world – and she learned that listening and understanding are key to both providing service and developing talent
Read on
“He got to see his vision come to life, and that ultimately means he’s helped save lives as well”
ROD COOK,
VICE PRESIDENT OF WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY SERVICES, WSIB
IN Partnership with
In Partnership with
In Partnership with
1991
2003
2014
2019
2022
Joined the WSIB as an adjucator
1991
Joined the WSIB’s healthcare data team
2003
Promoted to Director of Workplace Health and Safety Services
2014
Helped launch the Health and Safety Excellence program
2019
Received the Council of Ontario Construction Associations (COCA)
Industry Ally award
2022
Milestones
Published 28 Aug 2023
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Matt probably sang these words a thousand times over the years, but he also lived them. Whether at home, at the office, or in the broader health and safety community, Matt put these words into action. He built community. He fostered togetherness. He created programs, policies, and systems to ensure nobody felt they had to walk alone.
Matt Wilson passed away on September 11, 2022 after a heroic but all-too-quick battle with cancer.
He leaves behind his beloved wife, Linda, and his two daughters, Brittany and Alaynna, who will forever cherish their memories together. He is survived by an extended work family at the WSIB that misses him dearly, and he leaves a lasting legacy to the people of Ontario, who will continue to benefit from his vision and dedication to health and safety every single day.
Copyright © 2023 KM Business Information Canada Ltd.
Advertise
About us
Contact us
Privacy
Terms of Use
RSS
Newsletter
Digital editions
Authors
External contributors
