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 workers with permanent injuries to be receiving wages from jobs they do not have and have no real hope of getting, the Bill addresses concerns repeatedly raised by injured workers, most recently in Phantom Jobs, Empty Pockets. Released last week the report, using information received from the WSIB through Freedom of Information requests, focuses on the poverty faced by injured workers when the Board deducts from their compensation benefits the amount of these illusionary wages.
Wayne Harris, the injured worker who spoke at the Queen’s Park press conference on release of the report, was interviewed on CBC’s Metro Morning this morning [listen to his conversation with host Matt Galloway ]
Review update: “We’re not privatizing the WSIB”
Also in the House today: In response to a direct question in the Legislative Assembly by MPP Wayne Gates, the Minister of Labour Laurie Scott stated (twice) the government position of ” ‘no’ to privatization” of Ontario’s workers’ compensation board.
Read more:
- Mojtahedzadeh, Sara. 2019 May 27. “WSIB Review Does Not Include Privatization, Ontario Labour Minister Says.” Toronto Star