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A passion for justice

May 8, 2016

With respect and affection the injured worker community and her co-workers recently celebrated Marion Endicott’s 40 years (1976-2016) of dedication as a community legal worker at Injured Workers’ Consultants. Tributes spoke of her many contributions as reformer and activist, legal representative, educator,…

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Not alone – the power of support groups

May 8, 2016

Dealing with injury – and Ontario’s current workers’ compensation system– can be a long and lonely road. Injured workers’ groups offer a lifeline – a safe place to share experiences with others who truly understand their struggle and their pain. They offer…

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May Day – time to address shattered dreams

April 30, 2016

“‘Migrant Dreams’ broken as workers face exploitation on Ontario farms” (CBC The Current, Apr. 28, 2016) In her documentary to be premiered Sunday (May Day – International Workers Day) at the Hot Docs Festival local film-maker Min Sook Lee follows a group…

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Chinese restaurant workers – vulnerable also to claims suppression

April 27, 2016

”Widespread’workplace abuse persists for Chinese restaurant workers” / Sara Mojtehedzadeh & Nicholas Keung (Toronto Star, Apr. 25, 2016) and Editorial A just-released report – Sweet & Sour: The Struggle of Chinese Restaurant-Workers by the Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic…

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“The lowered flag is a powerful symbol of our respect”

April 22, 2016

Bill 180, Workers Day of Mourning Act, 2016 introduced by Percy Hatfield (MPP for Windsor-Tecumseh) and supported by all parties passed second reading April 7 (with a standing ovation) and is now waiting to be considered by the Standing Committee on the…

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Bancroft Spring session – mental health and the injured worker

April 22, 2016

Each year approximately 31,000 Canadian workers are recognized as sustaining a permanent impairment as a result of a workplace injury – 15,000 in Ontario alone, according to WSIB data. The upcoming session in the Bancroft Institute’s Policy & Research Discussion series…

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Doctor’s claim against WSIB and employer gets go-ahead

April 22, 2016

“Hamilton-area doctor gets green light to sue WSIB, employer” / Jacques Gallant (Toronto Star, Apr. 21, 2016) Dr Brenda Steinnagel alleges she was fired after refusing WSIB’s demands to reverse her medical opinion on a hospital security guard’s claim (see also Hamilton …

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Celebrating Injured Worker Speaker School success

April 20, 2016

Monday was Graduation and Speech night at Toronto’s Injured Workers’ Speakers School (IWSS). Fellow injured workers, colleagues, and clinic staff celebrated with 2016 Spring graduates: Ruben, Seeta, Julie, Mark, Jenny, Heidi. Organizing the event were IWSS facilitators Kate and Heather, Aidan and…

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A healthy relationship?

April 14, 2016

A recent U.S. study published by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (“Do Higher Fee Schedules Increase the Number of Workers’ Compensation Cases?” ) raises some interesting research questions for Canadian workers’ compensation systems, particularly in light of the austerity measures implemented…

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Challenges to Appeals Tribunal’s independence & expertise?

April 6, 2016

“Fair appeals for injured workers under threat, experts warn” / Sara Mojtehedzadeh (Toronto Star, Apr. 6, 2016) Workers’ compensation system is at a “critical moment” as backlogs and loss of expertise kick in at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT),…

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