Blog

Hazards of working in the gig economy

January 18, 2019

Debate continues on the pros and cons of the gig economy. In this ‘sharing economy’ based on freelance, temporary or contingent on-demand project or piece-work arrangements, workers contract their labour through internet-based platforms such as Uber, Hyr, Upwork. According to staffing company…

Continue Reading Hazards of working in the gig economy

WSIB denies mental stress in shocking decision

January 9, 2019

Injured Worker Margery Wardle, who was the face of a recent legal challenge that led to changes in the legislation that expanded workers’ compensation entitlement for chronic stress disabilities, was featured in the Toronto Star again. The WSIB recently made a shocking…

Continue Reading WSIB denies mental stress in shocking decision

Any workers’ comp review must involve injured workers!

January 4, 2019

On November 15th of last year, Ontario’s governing Progressive Conservative Party released a document called A Plan For the People: Ontario Economic Outlook and Review that outlined some of their early accomplishments and plans. Tucked 54 pages into this document is a…

Continue Reading Any workers’ comp review must involve injured workers!

A look back – and ahead

December 28, 2018

2018 was marked by the energy and solidarity of the injured worker community in bringing attention of the public and policy-makers to failures of Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) in delivering fair and timely compensation, particularly for those with permanent…

Continue Reading A look back – and ahead

Internal audit reveals extraordinarily high rate of denial of chronic mental stress claims

December 6, 2018

“Workers’ compensation board denies over 90 per cent of chronic mental stress claims, audit shows” / Sara Mojtehedzadeh (Toronto Star, Dec. 4, 2018). Since the Bill 127 amendment to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act came into force, Ontario’s workers’ compensation board…

Continue Reading Internal audit reveals extraordinarily high rate of denial of chronic mental stress claims

Former rubber workers: ‘Those plants ruined us’

December 6, 2018

[Dec. 12 update: In response to The Record’s series, WSIB Chair orders review of hundreds of denied claims]. Once the booming Rubber Capital of Canada, Kitchener’s plants employed thousands. While many of those plants have long closed, former workers and their families…

Continue Reading Former rubber workers: ‘Those plants ruined us’

WCIAR Campaign gets support from Unifor members

December 4, 2018

The Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups (ONIWG) had an energizing few days at the Unifor Ontario Region Convention from November 29-December 2, having great conversations with so many members about supporting injured workers. We collected hundreds of signatures on our Workers’ …

Continue Reading WCIAR Campaign gets support from Unifor members

Workers’ compensation: morality versus the business case

November 23, 2018

The experience of being injured at work and claiming workers’ compensation can greatly influence injured workers’ possibilities for rehabilitation and successful return to work. A new study examines why some claims are prolonged, conflicted and frequently associated with confrontational interactions between Ontario…

Continue Reading Workers’ compensation: morality versus the business case

Champion for the ‘little guy’?

November 23, 2018

Statement by Janet Paterson and Moses Sheppard of the Thunder Bay and District Injured Worker Support Group: Premier Ford is, according to him, a champion for the little guy. Thus far, he has cancelled the Basic Income Pilot Project, which…

Continue Reading Champion for the ‘little guy’?

Register now – Bancroft Institute discussion Nov 29

November 16, 2018

A reminder that the next in the Bancroft Institute for Studies on Workers’ Compensation and Work Injury discussion series is fast approaching. Keynote speaker at the November 29 Thursday morning event will be Professor Ellen MacEachen, Co-director of the Centre for Research…

Continue Reading Register now – Bancroft Institute discussion Nov 29