SubProofA clearance certificate is only good for its validity period. When it ends, you no longer have proof that the sub is in good standing, and the protection it gave you for payments made while it was valid does not stretch forward.
1. Ask the sub for a new certificate
Most of the time the sub is in good standing and simply has not sent the new one. A short email the day it runs out usually fixes it the same day.
2. Look it up yourself
WSIB's online clearance service lets a contractor request a certificate for a sub using its business name or WSIB account number. If a new certificate is issued, save it with the date you checked.
3. If no certificate can be issued
That usually means the sub is not registered or is behind on premiums. In Ontario, a contractor who hires a subcontractor without a valid WSIB clearance certificate can be held responsible for the premiums that sub owes WSIB (Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, section 141). Talk to the sub before you release the next payment, and get advice before you hold money back, because your contract and the Construction Act both bear on how and when you pay.
4. Write it down
Note the date the certificate expired, the date you asked, and the date the new one arrived. If a question comes up later, a dated record is what shows you checked.
Stop it happening again
Expiry is predictable. The fix is to ask before the date, not after it.
Keeping it current without chasing
SubProof gives each subcontractor a private upload link, no account needed. It reads the expiry dates you enter, shows every sub as covered, expiring or expired, and emails the sub 30, 14 and 7 days before a document runs out and on the day. You get a Monday summary of who needs attention before you approve the week's payments.
General information, not legal advice. SubProof is not affiliated with WSIB.