Claims

New research project on claims suppression

April 6, 2025

Claims suppression (employer actions to discourage or hinder appropriate reporting of workplace incidents or illnesses) has long been identified as a key concern by the injured worker community. In a perverse outcome, the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s experience rating,…

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Our recommendations on the WSIB’s communicable illnesses draft policy

April 1, 2023

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) recently created a draft policy on Communicable Illnesses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; although, the policy is not specific to COVID-19. Submissions were requested from the worker and employer communities and will be…

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Victory of injured workers

March 6, 2022

In January 2022, the Ontario government announced that Parkinson’s Disease will formally be recognized as an illness caused by McIntyre Powder (an aluminum powder), which was involuntarily inhaled by thousands of mine workers in multiple locations across Northern Ontario and across the…

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Profits over people

March 6, 2022

Two explosive reports recently released in New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy paint a damning picture of mining companies in Northern Ontario who exploited thousands of mine workers by way of exposure to McIntyre Powder (MP) in the…

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Class action about opioid addiction

October 1, 2021

OxyContin has fueled the opioid crisis in Canada for many years. Purdue Pharma created OxyContin and made billons off of it while falsely promoting it as a less addictive opioid. In 2007, Purdue pled guilty in the U.S. to misleading regulators and…

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Calling for occupational disease reform

September 9, 2021

A recent National Observer investigation detailed how an Ontario paper mill poisoned nearby First Nations and their decades-long fight for environmental justice. The toxic chemicals and contaminants also had long-term and grave impacts for construction workers at the Dryden Mill. A report…

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Amazon’s workplace safety under scrutiny

December 14, 2020

In a Toronto Star investigation reporter Sara Mojtehedzadeh has thrown new light on Amazon’s record of worker injury and illness in Canadian warehouses. The newspaper has confirmed at least 25 COVID-19 cases in Amazon’s Brampton warehouses alone. Documents received through Freedom of…

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COVID-19 in the workplace and compensation claims

November 24, 2020

According to a recent CBC news investigation, at least 26,000 workers across Canada have filed workers’ compensation claims due to COVID-19. As the report highlights, these statistics present a misleading picture of what’s actually happening in the workplace. David Newberry, of…

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In solidarity with the OFL call for WSIB action on cancer report

August 27, 2020

On July 7, 2020 Dr. Paul Demers of the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC) released a report highlighting occupational cancer and WSIB claims. The report reveals that a disproportionate number of workers are denied occupational cancer claims in Ontario compared to other…

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Recognizing occupational cancer claims – what will it take?

July 12, 2020

A report released Tuesday finds only a small fraction of those who get cancer on the job ever get workers’ compensation. Commissioned in April 2018 by the Ministry of Labour, the review, conducted by Dr Paul Demers of the Occupational Cancer Research…

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