This Labour Day, injured workers are launching a series of videos speaking out against the cuts to Legal Aid.
Stay tuned every two weeks to see new stories from injured workers about the impacts that Legal Aid clinics have had on their lives.
Over the last decade, Ontarians have watched as the compensation system (WSIB) has reduced benefit payments to workers by billions of dollars, while the system becomes more and more complicated and bureaucratic. This has made it harder for injured workers to represent themselves through the WSIB process, increasing reliance on the free legal services provided by Ontario’s Legal Aid Clinics. Unfortunately, when Ontario’s Conservative government decided to cut funding to legal aid by $133 million dollars, the three clinics that provide the most assistance to injured workers were among the hardest hit. All three have laid off staff, and most are currently unable to to open new files, leaving injured workers in the lurch.
As usual, injured workers aren’t pulling any punches. Our first two videos, from Alicia and El-Kbir, offer raw stories of just how bad things were before they found help at a Legal Aid clinic, and how the assistance they received turned their life from one that they had considered ending, to one in which they have become tireless educators and fighters for the rights of injured workers.
The videos are available with closed captioning.
Stay tuned here for new videos every two weeks.
Take Action:
- Sign up to the #WorkersCompIsARight email list to be the first to know about new videos and upcoming injured worker actions.
- Email the Premier and your MPP by visiting StopLegalAidCuts.ca.