IWC news

IWC’s response to the consultation on the Ontario’s proposed Critical Minerals Strategy addresses the high workplace injury rate of workers in the mining and quarrying industries and their need to have the same health and safety protections as all workers in Ontario. It calls on the government to state by regulation that there will be no exemptions for workers in special economic zones from the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, the Labour Relations Act and the Employment Standards Act ….

Read the full submission (html) or download the pdf.

On May 13 IWC’s Orlando Buonastella & Kathrin Furniss, together with injured worker Marvin Mulder, made a presentation before the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs hearings on Bill 105 ‘s Schedule 9 amendments to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act.

As also detailed in written submissions, IWC supports sections of the Bill that expand coverage to uncovered workers, increase the Loss of Earnings (LOE) benefits rate, and allow for LOE benefits to continue after the age 65 cut-off. However the Clinic finds that these changes are incomplete and proposes recommendations on LOE and Loss of Retirement Income, benefit retroactivity, retirement age of 70, re-employment obligations, universal coverage. Of particular concern, the proposal to terminate the 72-month lock-in of LOE benefits and the proposed cap to LOE benefits at 100% of Net Average Earnings (NAE).

Download the full submission.

Op-ed “Older workers deserve fair treatment” by IWC’ sTebasum Durrani and Chris Grawey was published in the April 22, 2026 edition of Hamilton Spectator.

The authors argue that the proposed changes to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act [Bill 105, schedule 9] fail to adequately recognize that Ontario’s workers’ compensation system is built on outdated assumptions about work, aging, and economic security. In particular, the amendments in “relying exclusively on individualized proof while not increasing the retirement age above 65 create barriers, not fairness….A worker-first approach is to raise the retirement benchmark to age 70, with flexibility for even later retirement, if supported by evidence. This would align the law with modern workforce realities and reduce unnecessary administrative burdens on decision-makers already stretched thin…”

Among other issues addressed – the need for retroactivity in full compensation for the LOE and Loss of Retirement benefits, and a call for universal coverage.

Read the full article here.

An online community meeting is being held Wed. April 29 at 1  p.m. for injured/ill workers and allies on the Government of Ontario’s proposed changes to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act.

Several weeks ago they announced that:

• Following through on a promise from two elections ago, they would raise injured workers’ Loss of Earnings benefits from 85% of pre-injury wage to 90%.
• Following sustained pressure from people like you, they would allow some workers to receive benefits past age 65 if they can prove they planned on working past that age.
• They would expand mandatory coverage to 29,000 additional workers at residential care facilities, retirement homes and group homes.

The changes to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act have now been introduced in Schedule 9 of Bill 105, Protecting Ontario’s Workers and Economic Resilience Act, 2026. Unfortunately it includes several dangerous proposals that would fundamentally change the Workers’ Compensation system, and leave injured workers exposed to a lifetime of surveillance and income insecurity.

Please join the community meeting to discuss these changes and work together on an appropriate response. The event will include presentations from legal experts and injured workers, as well as time for conversation about what steps need to be taken to protect these vital protections for injured workers.

It will take place on ZOOM or by phone, and you can register here to get sent a link and call-in information.

IWC’s next “Know Your Rights” session will take place on March 25th at 1pm, with an educational presentation “WSIB 101” – a review of compensation benefits, rules, and processes. We will cover the basics from how to file a claim, to more complex issues like filing an appeal, and when/who to ask for help. 

The presentation will be followed by a brief Q&A about how WSIB works (though we won’t be able to answer case-specific questions at the event). 

While there will not be a full hour group discussion after the educational session, we will provide an update on the ongoing #RightsDontRetire campaign against WSIB age discrimination. 

Please pass this info along to anyone you think might be interested.

Click Here to Register and be sent Zoom/Call-in information. 

Please note that we will return to in-person meetings soon, but this month is online or by phone only. 

We would like to invite you to join us at our 57th Annual General Meeting. Come and hear a report on current issues in workers compensation and the activities of the past year. Join us in person at the clinic for some food and conversation or join by zoom or telephone.

Date: Thursday January 15th 2026

Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Location: In person at the clinic 815 Danforth Ave. Suite 411 or by Zoom or Telephone

Whether you are planning on joining us in person or by Zoom or telephone, please register by following instructions below. If you are joining by Zoom or telephone, information on how to join will be sent to you by email.

· Register at this link or by visiting tinyurl.com/IWCAGM2026 before the meeting.

· If you need accommodations please call 416 461-2411 / 1 833 461-2411 or email info@iwc.clcj.ca

Panel Presentation:

Psychological Conditions and the WSIB Return to Work Process

Our discussion topic this year is the WSIB process for returning to work with a psychological disability. Many injured workers have told us that although the WSIB has accepted they have a work-related psychological condition, the WSIB has not accepted limitations on returning to work. Our Panel this year will be Dr. Deborah Scharf, psychologist, Senior Clinician Scientist, Institute for Better Health at Trillium Health Partners,Nickolai McLeod, Candidate Doctor of Law, Osgoode Hall Law School, and B. H., an injured worker who has returned to work after a workplace mental stress injury.

Injured Workers Community Legal Clinic Board of Directors

The community legal clinic has a volunteer Board of Directors that is accountable to our funder Legal Aid Ontario along with the IWC staff, for the management of the clinic. IWC is a non-profit community‐based organization funded by Legal Aid Ontario that has been serving injured workers free of charge since 1969 through legal services, law reform, public legal education, and community development. The Clinic works for and with injured workers. As an organization, we work collaboratively and are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

We have a volunteer Board of Directors that consists of injured workers and supporters from the broader injured worker community of researchers, advocates and activists. The Board oversees the clinic’s general performance and community accountability, provides input on law and policy reform, reviews policy, provides advice on programs and activities. The Board term is two years. The Clinic serves injured workers across the province and we welcome volunteers from any region. An election will be held at the Annual General Meeting. We currently have nominees approved by the recruitment committee to fill all of the Board positions coming open this year. However, we welcome interested volunteers and there are opportunities for those not elected to the Board to assist the work of the clinic.

Board members actively participate (by video, phone or in-person) in 9 regular meetings a year, a strategic planning session with staff, and the Annual General Meeting. Directors can also volunteer for committees dealing with specific issues. Training and other supports are provided.

If you are interested in joining our Board in the future or want to learn more about what that involves please contact David Newberry (ext. 25) at 416 461-2411 / 1 833 461-2411 or david.newberry@iwc.clcj.ca