Poverty

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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Why the workers’ comp campaign matters to us

September 21, 2018

The Women of Inspiration and other injured workers met with MPP Rima Berns-McGown today. It was a really supportive meeting as we spoke to her about our personal stories and connected it to the Workers’ Comp Is A Right (WCIAR) campaign demands.…

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Women and workplace health

March 7, 2018

Women workers make up 48% of Ontario’s employed workforce and represent 35% of allowed high impact lost time compensation claims (Schedule 1), 50% of Schedule 2 claims, according to WSIB 2016 statistics. However in their study “Falling Through the Legal Cracks”…

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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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Injured workers: taking an extra hit

January 8, 2018

“Injured workers losing out on Ontario’s wage bump. Here’s why” / Sara Mojtehedzadeh (Hamilton Spectator, Toronto Star Jan. 8, 2018) – with Letters to the editor in response (Jan 13). — While supporting the $15 & Fairness minimum wage campaign, injured workers…

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Where did they go?

January 8, 2018

What happens to Ontario’s injured workers with permanent impairments who are denied workers’ compensation or their benefits are cut off when they are unable to get employment after their injury? A recently published report “Where Did They Go?” is the first step…

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Changes to Ontario social assistance programs

September 8, 2017

Several of the changes to the province’s social assistance programs – Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and Ontario Works – announced in the April Budget are now in effect. These build on other initiatives over the past year, including a simpler, less …

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Low income among Canadians with a disability

August 12, 2017

A new Statistics Canada study underscores that having a disability is an important factor that increases the risk of being in low income. Although persons with a disability accounted for approximately 20% of the population aged 25 to 64 in 2014, they…

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Support for families of the injured worker?

April 19, 2017

A work-related injury or illness affects not only the worker but also the family on whom they rely for support. The social, emotional, financial and health toll on households is frequently substantial: lower income or poverty, changed family dynamics, physical strains…

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“Caught in bureaucratic limbo” .. struggling to get by

March 23, 2017

“Why a family of six in Oakville is living on $36K a year: the WSIB refused to compensation Steve Rescan, 40, after back issues forced him to stop working” / Lisa Xing (CBC News Toronto, Mar. 22, 2017) A construction…

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