I started a hair salon three years ago and as part of all the paperwork and registrations, I registered with WSIB, believing it was a mandatory plan run by the government. I now realise, that a hair salon is not covered by the act and I was not required to register with WSIB.

Although I did receive some requests for information and some bills which I paid, which I now understand to be penalties, I am now finding out that I need to make payments that were due for the last few years totalling several thousand dollars. No claim has ever been made for WSIB, nor are any pending.

Is there any way to retroactively opt out of WSIB and avoid this payment? Certainly my lack of understanding played a role in the situation I am in, but since there have been no claims can I back out of this? I have just reported the information they asked for recently, but have not been assessed an exact amount, nor have I paid anything yet. I'm fairly certain that if I had made a claim, they would have rejected it since appropriate payments weren't being made. Is there any way of not having to make this overdue payment and just get out of WSIB?