Tell Doug Ford and the WSIB: Injured Workers Need COVID-19 Relief NOW!

In these frightening and unprecedented times, the Province of Ontario and and the WSIB need to double down on protecting workers who get sick or injured on the job. The Ontario Network of Injured Workers’ Groups (ONIWG) has written to the Premier and the President of the WSIB about the most pressing issues current and future injured workers face during the COVID-19 crisis. Add your voice below, by demanding that the WSIB:

Cover workers who get sick with COVID-19 without delay or hassle.
Doesn’t pretend injured workers have jobs that they don’t (no “deeming”), especially at a time when jobs are either dangerous or unavailable.
Cover the extra costs that permanently injured workers may incur by practicing social distancing.
Listen to injured workers’ doctors, now more than ever.

Injured Workers Need COVID-19 Relief Now!
Read or Edit the Petition

To: Honourable Premier Doug Ford Minister of Labour Monte Mcnaughten WSIB President & CEO Tom Teahen WSIB Board Chair Elizabeth Witmer NDP Leader Andrea Horwath Liberal Leader Stephen Del Duca Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner To the leaders of our province, our compensation board, and our provincial political parties: On March 24th and 25th, the Ontario Network of Injured Workers’ Groups (ONIWG) sent a letter to both the WSIB and the Premier, outlining the urgent needs of injured workers during these unprecedented times.* I am writing today in support of these letters, and to echo the demands of ONIWG, including: 1) Cover workers who will get sick or injured as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic without hesitation or hassle. It is critical that the WSIB not use any “pre-existing condition” the worker may have when determining eligibility for COVID-19 related benefits. This is a vital step not only for the well-being of injured workers, but to encourage those who may be sick to stay home and prevent further community spread. 2) Take care of the extra costs that injured workers will incur while practicing physical and social distancing, including (but not limited to): taxi or alternative transportation to appointments or to acquire medications; delivery costs for groceries and other necessities; any PPEs necessary to keep healthy; any home-health equipment that workers may need to mitigate the problems created by cancelled physio, massage, etc. (e.g. stretching, strengthening, or self-massage tools, TENS machines, etc.). The WSIB should proactively inform injured workers of access to these funds. 3) Re-instate full LOE for workers who have have been deemed** at least until the end of the pandemic and the subsequent economic recovery. As you know, the employment numbers in Ontario in the wake of this crisis are dismal. If there are no real jobs, there can be no phantom jobs. 4) Now more than ever, listen to injured workers’ doctors. This pandemic has given Canadians a new understanding of the importance of science, and of following the advice of medical experts and professionals. This lesson should apply to the WSIB as much as anyone. In these difficult times, we have watched while the Province and the WSIB have speedily delivered a massive relief package to employers, including allowing them to stop their normal payments into the compensation system. It is time to give the same pressing attention to a package for injured workers. During a pandemic of these proportions, no injured worker should be left behind. Some of these demands will need legislative action, while others will require a change in the policies and practices of the WSIB. We urge the province and the compensation board to work together to achieve these outcomes without delay. -- *To read ONIWG's letter to the WSIB visit injuredworkersonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ONIWG-letter-WSIB-COVID_20200324.pdf *To read ONIWG's letter to the Premier visit https://injuredworkersonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ONIWG-letter-WSIB-COVID_20200324.pdf **Deeming is when the WSIB pretends a worker has a job that they do not in fact have. The legislation says that these pretend jobs must be “suitable and available.” Economic data tells us that unemployment numbers have grown significantly, affecting the availability of jobs. Research tells us many injured workers face health challenges that could compromise their immune systems, meaning that seeking work in the present pandemic is not suitable.*** For more info on the problems caused by deeming, visit injuredworkersonline.org/emptypockets. ***For information on injured worker health post-injury see: Dr. Rebecca Casey, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2017 May. 59(5), 486-496. "Diagnosed Chronic Health Conditions Among Injured Workers With Permanent Impairments and the General Population."
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