IWC news

Submission draws attention to the significant revenue leakage from the provincial coffers caused by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) claim suppression. In particular this revenue leakage impacts health care and social assistance, budget areas already stressed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Claims suppression refers to actions taken by an employer to induce a worker not to report an injury or illness, or alternatively, to under-report the severity of an injury or illness or the amount of lost time attributable to that injury or illness. It was identified as a “moral crisis” by Prof. Harry Arthurs in his 2012 “Funding Fairness” report to the WSIB. It was called a “real problem” by Prism Economics and Analytics in their 2013 report to the WSIB: “Workplace Injury Claim Suppression.” The 2020 Speer-Dykeman Operational Review found the WSIB’s system of audits and checks does not provide a “credible basis” to make judgments about the system’s performance. Claim suppression has been indicated as a huge issue by government and WSIB inquiries, but to no avail…

Read full submission >

IWC supports efforts to increase workplace safety, including access to naloxone to reduce the risk of deaths caused by opioid overdoses. The Clinic also urges that people who use opioids are not demonized in this review – many workers have a well-managed and appropriate regime of pain killers which may well be the only thing that is effective for them to manage pain and return to some activities of daily living.

It is imperative that the Ministry also examines the harmful impacts that WSIB policies and practices have on contributing to potentially unsafe use of opioids, including:

• Restore the Board’s previous practice recognizing the importance of time to heal rather than the “Better at Work” approach pressures workers to return to work early
• Listen to the treating doctor on the timing and nature of a safe return to work; ensure the protocols for Board approval of opioid prescriptions are not overly onerous and bureaucratic
• Provide adequate access to alternative treatments for pain

Read full submission

Join a monthly update on workers’ compensation issues by IWC staff (presented at the Thunder Bay & District Injured Workers’ Support Group Tuesday information & advocacy sessions).

See a list of upcoming and past sessions from August 2020 on, including such topics as: what happens when injured workers turn 65; WSIB benefits and services injured workers may not know about; employers’ experience rating and safety, claims suppression; universal coverage; organizing for occupational disease …

Email tbiwsg@gmail.com to get your Zoom link.