Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups (ONIWG) calls on Premier Ford to to meet with ONIWG and to instruct the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) to properly apply the law and WSIB policy in determining the annual cost-of-living adjustment…
Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups
Head Office
127 Ravenwood Ave
Thunder Bay, ON
P7B 4H7
oniwgexec@gmail.com
For Immediate Release April 12, 2022
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Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Short-Changes Injured Workers with 2022 Cost-of-Living Adjustment
THUNDER BAY – The Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups (ONIWG) is calling on Premier Ford to meet with ONIWG and to instruct the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) to properly apply the law and WSIB policy in determining the annual cost-of-living adjustment. For 2022, the WSIB set the cost-of-living adjustment to 2.7%, even though the rate should have been set at 4.7% based on the law and WSIB policy.
Section 49(1) of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA) states: “an indexing factor shall be calculated that is equal to the amount of the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for Canada for all items, for the 12-month period ending on October 31 of the previous year, as published by Statistics Canada.”
When applying those factors to Statistics Canada data, the CPI percentage change for the twelve months ending on October 31, 2021 is 4.7%, not the 2.7% provided by the Board.
The graphic below from the Statistics Canada website (The Daily — Consumer Price Index, October 2021 (statcan.gc.ca)) clearly demonstrates this:
(Consumer Price Index October 2021 4.7% (12-month change) Source(s): Table 18-10-0004-01)
A 2% increase from 2.7% to 4.7% would not dramatically change an injured worker’s life, but it could ensure that the gas tank is filled or that their children can be fed, as the price of everyday life continues to rise. Just last month, the inflation rate hit a 30 year high and approached 6%. Ultimately, a 2.7% hike for injured workers is not going to cut it in this environment.
Janet Paterson, ONIWG President, states: “On one hand, the WSIB short-changes injured workers with the cost-of-living adjustment for 2022, which is no surprise, as many workers continue to be denied entitlement, deemed, sent back to work prematurely, and are often treated poorly by the Board. While on the other hand, the WSIB will refund up to $1.5 billion to Employers this month as a result of the surplus achieved on the backs of injured workers, at a time when average premium rates for employers have already been cut by 5.1% for 2022, continuing a trend that began a few years ago.”
We are calling on Premier Ford to meet with ONIWG to discuss this fundamental unfairness and for Premier Ford to take action to ensure that the WSIB properly applies the law by increasing the cost-of-living adjustment to 4.7% for 2022. That money belongs in the pockets of injured workers.
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For more information, please contact:
Janet Paterson
ONIWG President
Phone number: 807-472-6910
Download ONIWG: WSIB short-changes injured workers with 2022 cost-of-living adjustment