Talking Radical Radio host Scott Neigh recently interviewed activist leaders from the Thunder Bay & District Injured Workers Support Group: one of the founders, Steve Mantis; president Eugene Lefrançois; and vice-president Janet Paterson (Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups president).
Formed in 1984, the Thunder Bay group plays a number of roles, with peer support and education still core commitments. Weekly sessions, previously held in-person and now online (allowing those across the province to join in), provide an important space where injured workers can hear from expert speakers, share their knowledge and stories, give support and advice to fellow injured workers experiencing problems dealing with the compensation system – or with the aftermath of work injury or illness. These are also opportunities to socialize, particularly important for injured workers who often suffer intense isolation.
…As people learn more, they get more confidence, they see they’re not alone, they see they’re facing these barriers together. And we’re better able then to meet these challenges on an individual basis. And sometimes, sowing us together on a collective basis to face these barriers really in a systemic way…
Through these discussions the group is able to prioritize issues to address through advocacy, lobbying and law reform. Among current key concerns – fair compensation for occupational disease claimants exposed to toxic chemicals at Dryden paper mill; WSIB’s cost-of-living increments that are consistently lower than those calculated by Statistics Canada; financial incentives for employers that encourage claim suppression and under-reporting; inadequate job accommodation; deeming practices.