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Rubber Workers Project info session
The Ontario Rubber Workers Project seeks to investigate the cause of cancer clusters that have occurred in workers employed in the rubber industry in the Kitchener, Waterloo, and surrounding area. The project is a collective of retired rubber workers, their families, and the following organizations: Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc. (OHCOW), Office of the Worker Adviser (OWA), the United Steelworkers (USW) and their retirees group the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR).
OHCOW, and USW/SOAR are compiling a team of occupational disease experts to assist former rubber workers (including both those who have previously filed claims and those who have not yet filed claims) with medical scientific evidence to determine if their health conditions are work related
The Information session will be held:
Thursday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (with presentations from Project partners and WSIB at 1:00 p.m.)
Friday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If you would like OHCOW’s help in reviewing an occupaional health issue and/or in filing a WSIB claim, please attend the information session and bring as much medical and job history information as you can. See this list for the types of documentation that are especially helpful.
Bright Lights meeting – Toronto
Join us for the April Bright Lights meeting – ALL injured workers welcome!
Here’s what we have in mind so far for discussion: the upcoming Day of Action; tips from the Canadian Mental Health Association on managing the kind of struggles many injured workers face – dealing with stress, mood issues and sleep problems; a report on the March 30th strategy session; and June 1st planning – yes, that time again!
See you Thursday!
A reminder: We are a scent-free office, so we would appreciate it if people could refrain from wearing perfumes, powders and colognes. Thank you kindly.
Bancroft Institute – draft national strategy for disability and work
Save the date! The next in the Bancroft Policy and Research Discussion series is scheduled for Thursday May 2 2019 to discuss the draft strategy developed by the Disability and Work in Canada Steering Committee . The strategy will help guide efforts to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities in Canada. Members of the Steering Committee with ties to the injured worker community are interested in hearing responses from the community regarding the strategy.
Speakers, schedules, and registration details will follow in the coming days, but please save the date.
** Sign up here to be kept informed on the progress of the Draft Strategy consultations and for information on the December 2019 conference.
View all details Bancroft Institute – draft national strategy for disability and work
Injured Worker Day of Action
Save the date! ONIWG is organizing a province-wide Injured Worker Day of Action. In today’s political climate here in Ontario, all of us who are in marginalized and vulnerable positions are having to stand up and defend our rights. In the injured worker context, the government and WSIB announced a 30% reduction to employer premiums, which will surely lead to more austerity and cuts for people who have been injured or made ill on the job. And the government has also announced a review of the workers’ compensation system, which may well lead to further pain. We need to show up for each other…. Read full ONIWG letter
So far, we have 7 communities committed to holding actions – Windsor, St Catharines, Peel, Thunder Bay, Guelph, Manitoulin, and Toronto – and we are expecting more. And we’d like to ask all our groups and our allies, to help us build, by doing one of the following:
- If you’re in a community where an action is happening, join it!
- If there’s no action in your community, organize one!
More details coming soon.