News

Executive Director John McKinnon was recently guest speaker on episode #10 of Injured Workers Legal Side with Richard & Paul. This episode of the podcast series hosted by Richard Fink and Paul Taylor addressed issues faced by older injured workers.

A lawyer with a long history of advocating against age discrimination in the workers’ compensation system, John discusses here the reasons behind a new joint legal challenge to Ontario’s current legislation which limits workers’ compensation to injured workers at age 65, and the development of law and policy behind the WSIB’s inadequate retirement benefit which forces many into poverty.

• Listen or view Episode 10 here on Youtube.

“Bylaws meant to curb hate and violence actually target dissent“, by IWC’s Tebasum Durrani and Chris Grawey, was published in the May 31st edition of Hamilton Spectator.

The article discusses how the City of Toronto’s bylaw, which creates “buffer zones” around certain institutions, restricting the right to protest, gather, picket – a right utilized by injured workers in bringing the attention of the public and officials to the workers’ compensation issues many face. “Ultimately, this is not about safety — it is about silencing the voices of anti-establishment and working-class people. In short, the bylaw will act as a deterrent to protest.”

Read the full article here.

Meet next Wednesday at IWC @ noon to get ready for this year’s June 1^st Injured Workers’ Day. We will begin with a short history of June 1^st – Injured Workers’ Day, and then give a rundown of upcoming events. After that, we will order some pizza and dust off our craft supplies to have a poster & placard-making party for the events on June 1st. We hope you can join us at the IWC office (815 Danforth Ave, Suite 411 on 4th floor)

The event will be hybrid (on Zoom and in person) – if you want to join virtually for the presentation about June 1^st history and a rundown of upcoming events, make sure to join right at noon.

 Please RSVP by clicking here – whether you are coming in person or online – so we know how much food to order.

If you can’t join us, keep an eye on injuredworkersonline.org/June1st2025 for the most up to date information on Injured Workers’ Day events.

The third episode of IWC’s InjuredWorkerPodcast is now out. It features conversations with Jack Copple (organizer with the Toronto & York Region Labour Council) and Bonnie Heath (IWC board member, among many other things) about Toronto’s proposed “Protest Zone Bylaw”. On the surface, the bylaw isn’t directly related to injured workers. As our guests point out, however, when you dig a little deeper it has the potential to impact anyone who is trying to campaign for change within city limits. Have a listen, tell your friends, and subscribe on your podcast app.

Listen to the podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. If you missed them, our previous episodes are about employer “rebates” and working in extreme weather. 

The Clinic is moving the monthly Know Your Rights / injured worker drop-in sessions to the fourth Wednesday of the month, from 1pm to 3pm.

Join us for the next meeting on Mar. 26 at our office (815 Danforth, 4th Floor, Toronto), or by Zoom/telephone (register here to get the link).

As usual, the first hour will be an educational presentation, and the second hour will feature more of a group conversation about issues facing injured workers. Our educational session will be a “WSIB 101” overview of workers’ compensation benefits in Ontario, and our group discussion will be about what you would like to see at this year’s June 1st Injured Workers’ Day events. 

The second in IWC’s podcast series InjuredWorkerCast is now available. In Episode 2 Work & Weather, IWC Lawyer Tebasum Durani talks to an injured worker, OFL President Laura Walton, and MPP Peter Tabuns about the dangers that workers who must be outside face during extreme weather conditions, and what can be done to keep them safe.

Tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Youtube