Finance

Injured workers denounce premium rate reduction & death at Fiera Foods

September 26, 2019 by Fred Bancroft

(Press Release, Sep. 26 2019) The Ontario Network of Injured Workers’ Groups (ONIWG) is appalled that the Ford government and WSIB are giving yet another massive gift to employers in the form of a 17% premium rate reduction, especially with…

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“Privatization of the WSIB is on the horizon”

July 9, 2019 by Fred Bancroft

“The WSIB of Ontario is one of the most profitable corporations in Canada, regarding any business activity, while its injured workers are the most destitute.” In its recent Workers’ Compensation Newsletter (July 2019), Fink & Bornstein point to the Workplace Safety and…

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Cuts to Prevention Office questioned

May 12, 2019 by Fred Bancroft

The line-by-line spending in the government estimates recently made public show a 13.5% budget cut ($16 million) to the Ministry of Labour’s Prevention Office charged with a mandate to improve workplace safety. Advocates note it makes no sense. While the Ministry…

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Calling for a commitment to justice

April 17, 2019 by Fred Bancroft

The size and scope of cuts to legal aid funding announced in last week’s provincial Budget were a blow to equitable access to justice for Ontario’s most vulnerable populations. Cuts of almost 30% (a reduced allocation to Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) of…

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Presentation to pre-budget hearings, Dryden

January 29, 2019 by Fred Bancroft

The Thunder Bay and District Injured Workers Support Group made a presentation to the Parliamentary Committee on Finance & Economic Affairs Pre-Budget Hearings in Dryden, Ontario on January 21, 2019. They covered two issues: the growing gap of income inequality in Ontario…

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A look back – and ahead

December 28, 2018 by Fred Bancroft

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…

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Overdue: addressing injured worker poverty

October 17, 2018 by Fred Bancroft

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 by Fred Bancroft

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 by Fred Bancroft

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 by Fred Bancroft

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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Finance

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