The Women of Inspiration led the last of three pickets before Injured Workers’ Day, talking of their personal experiences and stress in dealing with the Board, and how unjust procedures are hurting the community. Lending their support to the picket were United Steelworkers (USW Canada), with powerful speeches from Marv and Andrew on recent negative changes by Marshall to Ontario’s workers’ compensation system, including a streamlined (read “restricted”) appeal system; United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW Canada) who reminded everyone the upcoming election is an opportunity to learn candidates’ views [see ISAC election questions] – or to educate them about workers’ comp; and Justice for Migrant Workers (J4MW) who updated us of ongoing injustices faced by workers abroad injured in Ontario.
The Northwest Community Legal Clinic brought greetings from northern Ontario and a timely reminder that ” we all pre-exist”.
The message from today? We will not be silenced, we will not be intimidated or live in fear, we will not abandon our claims but will keep fighting for justice.