Law Reform

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Legal aid reforms – Committee hearings adjourned

March 21, 2020

Bill 161 has completed second reading and was supposed to go to public hearings before the Legislature’s Standing Committee on Justice Policy the week of March 23rd. However, due to COVID-19 all Standing Committees now remain adjourned “until the Government House Leader…

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Upcoming Bancroft session on injured workers and international human rights law

February 24, 2020

In September of last year, the Ontario Network of Injured Workers’ Groups presented a submission to the United Nations that the practice of “deeming” in Canadian workers’ compensation systems is a violation of human rights under the UN Convention on the Rights…

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Changes to Ontario’s legal aid system

December 16, 2019

Injured workers and other vulnerable communities learned last week of the changes the Ford government is proposing in its overhaul of Ontario’s legal aid system. Promising “modernization” and greater efficiencies, a new Legal Aid Services Act, 2019 was introduced in the Legislative…

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Will your MPP vote to end deeming?

October 5, 2019

Will your MPP vote to end deeming? We have told you before about an important Private Members Bill that could stop deeming in its tracks and preserve the livelihood of thousands of injured workers in the province. Well, now you can see…

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What would expanding coverage mean?

September 12, 2019

One in four workers in Ontario, approximately 1.7 million workers, are not covered by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, giving the province one of the lowest coverage rates in the country. Most provinces automatically cover all workers under workers’ compensation, except…

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“Privatization of the WSIB is on the horizon”

July 9, 2019

“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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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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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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Any workers’ comp review must involve injured workers!

January 4, 2019

On November 15th of last year, Ontario’s governing Progressive Conservative Party released a document called A Plan For the People: Ontario Economic Outlook and Review that outlined some of their early accomplishments and plans. Tucked 54 pages into this document is a…

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Register now – Bancroft Institute discussion Nov 29

November 16, 2018

A reminder that the next in the Bancroft Institute for Studies on Workers’ Compensation and Work Injury discussion series is fast approaching. Keynote speaker at the November 29 Thursday morning event will be Professor Ellen MacEachen, Co-director of the Centre for Research…

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