Benefits

Workers’ compensation concerns raised in the House

May 28, 2019

New Democrat Labour critic Wayne Gates (MPP – Niagara Falls) introduced Bill 119, Respecting Injured Workers Act (Workplace Safety and Insurance Amendment), in the Legislative Assembly today. Intended to remedy the harmful Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) practice of deeming…

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ONIWG launches whistleblower report on deeming

May 22, 2019

What happens to people who are injured at work? Most of the time, workers heal and they return to their regular jobs and lives. But what about those workers who don’t fully recover? Some of those people are looked after by workers’…

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From the House floor

March 28, 2019

On Monday Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Judith Monteith-Farrell rose in the Legislative Assembly to present a petition and to address how principles underlying Ontario’s workers’ compensation system are being eroded. Her comments focused on the recent 30% cuts to employers’ premiums all while,…

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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…

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Overdue: addressing injured worker poverty

October 17, 2018

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is a day to reflect also on the poverty close at home. One in six Canadians currently live in poverty, and in Ontario the percentage is slightly higher at 17%. While Toronto and Windsor…

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We can do better

October 8, 2018

Pushback on the recently announced 30% cut in employers’ premium rates continues unabated. In Rank and File.ca (Oct. 4) , Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups president Willy Noiles tracks reductions in employers’ premiums made since the mid-1990s. According to Professor Harry…

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On the backs of injured workers

September 28, 2018

The 30% cut to employers’ premiums recently announced by the Ontario government and WSIB continues to draw strong condemnation for the negative and continuing impact it will have for those with work-related injury or illness: The Ontario Network of Injured Workers’ Groups…

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A bonanza for employers at injured workers’ expense

September 27, 2018

While the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) was holding its Annual General Meeting yesterday, injured workers and their advocates were protesting outside the building. They were there to #BlowTheWhistle on the Board’s strong financial position being built on the backs of…

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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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