Women of Inspiration

The Toronto-based Women of Inspiration (WOI), has been meeting since 2004, creating a space for mutual support as women, as mothers and as care givers. We share friendship, information and support with those who know first-hand the impacts of work injury or illness. Together, we learn how to raise our voices and fight for our rights as injured workers. Our group meets in a safe space where everyone from any background, colour or creed is welcome.

International Women's Day, Bloor St, 2018

Meeting with MPP Mitize Hunter for the Wokers Comp Is A Rights campaign

WOI meets with MPP Faisal Hassan at Queen's Park

In good company at the 2013 Vigil, Queen's Park

Participating in the 2013 Meredith 100th Anniversary Conference

Rallying outside the Ministry of Labour, 2014

International Women's Day march, Bloor St, 2018

Sharon, 2018 graduate of the Injured Workers Speakers School

Joining the march to the Ministry of Labour, 2018

Activist Maryam Nazemi receives Ontario's Good Citizenship Award from the Lieutenant Governor 2019

Speaking out at the 2019 Injured Workers Day event

Beryl Brown, injured worker leader and founder of the Justice Singers choir

WOI member, activist & poet Sylvia Clarke

A meeting with Minister of Labour Steve Peters, 2006

Meeting with MPP Monique Taylor at the Legislative Assesmbly

About our meetings

We meet monthly to discuss common concerns such as:

peer support on feelings of isolation, grief and depression
improving our health and coping mechanisms for physical and emotional pain
handling frustrations with the WSIB’s compensation claims process or return to work
financial literacy and practical money management
accessing income assistance programs (ODSP, CPP) and other social services and programs
trips to do presentations to MPPs, government officials and policy makers

Recent guest speakers have included naturopaths, nutritionists, doctors and mental health workers, who discuss recovery while legal clinic staff update us on workers’ compensation issues.

WOI values advocacy – both self-advocacy skills (many of our members have taken the Injured Workers’ Speakers School course) and as an organization. We form alliances with other women’s and like-minded community organizations to address not only problems in the workers’ compensation system, but other social justice issues of equity, poverty and human rights.

Taking action, Speaking out

WOI members regularly speak out to raise public awareness wherever injured workers rally and at public education events. They also organize a special night Vigil (link) outside Queen’s Park every May 31st – if injured workers can’t sleep, how can their elected representatives?

Individually or as a group, members work to improve the workers’ compensation system by lobbying the government and their MPPS, through oral presentations before committee hearings, advocacy letters or written submissions to reviews on law or policy reform. Many have chosen also to participate in participatory research projects.

Selected submissions (for a full list check the IWC Library catalogue):

2019, Feb. 28. Letter to WSIB President re: Status of Universal WSIB Coverage
2017, Jul. 18. Brief to the Standing Committee on Bill 148: re Minimum Wage Impact on Injured Workers
2015, Dec. 17. Please make CPP fair for Ontario workers
2012, Oct. 1. Submission re WSIB Appeals Program
2011, Jun. 13. Submission to the WSIB (Arthurs) Funding Review

Women of Inspiration members also raise issues of injury, compensation and recovery through song, poetry and writing. See two such contributions by WOI members to the online journal Critical Disability Discourses (v. 8, 2018): “Don’t Write Me Off”, poem and video of Beryl Brown and the article “Salvaging Injured Bodies: Injured Worker Reintegration in Ontario” by Rachel Gnanayutham.