Benefits

The Opioid crisis, injured workers, and the WSIB

August 17, 2018

Although the opioid crisis is now recognized as a national priority in both Canada and the United States, the two countries with the highest per capita opioid usage, a feature article in Workers’ Comp Hub Newsletter (summer 2018) highlights the fact…

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Difficulties accessing medical marijuana

July 13, 2018

“Ontario injured workers shut out of medical pot coverage – told to take opioids instead” / John Lancaster (CBC News, Jul. 12, 2018) A CBC Toronto investigation reveals the dilemma many injured workers face in Ontario when denied coverage for medical marijuana…

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Appeal Court Stops WSIB Criminalization of Injured Workers’ Recovery from Injury

May 17, 2018

Ontario’s Court of Appeal has issued its decision on three cases that were heard together challenging convictions of injured workers for failing to report a material change of circumstances (Workplace Safety and Insurance Board v. Curtis, 2018 ONCA 441 (CanLII). Injured…

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“Deeming the WSIB unfit to serve Ontario’s injured workers”

April 12, 2018

Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas rose in the Legislative Assembly Tuesday to call out the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) on practices that have had catastrophic impacts for two miners in her constituency – and that can have devastating consequences for…

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Injured workers and the Assembly

March 29, 2018

It’s been a busy week in Ontario’s Legislative Assembly as the province moves towards the June election. MPPs raised several issues facing injured workers: Questions in the House Deeming – on Monday Cindy Forster (Welland) again questioned why “the government continues to…

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The Premier of Ontario was asked about ‘deeming’

March 20, 2018

(ONIWG’s recent letter to the Premier follows up on questions on deeming raised with her during recent Town Halls by providing recent research on how severely injured workers are impacted by the WSIB practice of deeming…) As many are aware, the Premier…

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The hidden truth

March 3, 2018

Injured Worker Unemployment: The Hidden Truth by the ONIWG Research Action Committee highlights telling statistics on wage loss and unemployment among seriously injured workers with permanent disabilities – and the resulting mental health impacts. According to figures provided by the WSIB, only…

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“Dwindling WSIB coverage and underhanded tricks…”

March 1, 2018

Yesterday in the Legislative Assembly, Paul Miller, MPP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, called out the government for the state of Ontario’s workers’ compensation system. The Poverty Reduction critic for the NDP addressed cuts to health care benefits, urging the government to urged…

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The problem with deeming

February 25, 2018

More than 90% of workers who lose time from work because of a work injury get back to work at their pre-injury wages in less than a year. But the vast majority of those injuries are temporary. People need time to heal,…

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Chronic Mental Stress Victory!

February 7, 2018

In 2017, the Ontario Network of Injured Workers’ Group (ONIWG), Injured Workers’ Consultants Community Legal Clinic (IWC), and one brave injured worker launched a court challenge for mental stress claims. Four years after the bar on chronic stress claims was found to…

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