IWC news

What happens at a WSIB or Tribunal appeals hearing? Our next monthly Know Your Rights meeting (which you can attend in person or by Zoom/telephone) will take place on Wednesday February 12th from 1pm to 3pm.

We’re especially excited about this one, because it will be an opportunity to introduce our newest staff member, Matthew Pi, who has recently come on board to help with community and outreach initiatives.

You will need to register if you want to attend online or by phone. Information on how to join on Zoom or by phone will be emailed to you after you register.You don’t need to register to attend in person, but it would help us know how many people to prepare for.

As usual, the meeting will be split into two, with the first half containing an educational aspect and the second half being a more interactive injured worker meeting. You are welcome to join for just one section, or attend both.

Meeting Agenda:

1pm – Educational Presentation – What Happens At A Hearing?

• What does a WSIB or WSIAT Tribunal appeal hearing look like?
• What will happen?
• What kind of evidence and arguments are they looking for?
• …and more 

2pm – Group Meeting – What do injured workers need?

Matthew will guide the group in a discussion about the struggles faced by injured workers, and brainstorm about how our community can respond in 2025 and beyond. 

In the first Thunder Bay Injured Workers’ Tuesday online session for 2025, IWC will host a discussion on claims suppression and experience rating that includes the experiences of injured workers, legal advocates and recent research.

Zoom into the Thunder Bay & District Injured Workers’ Support Group Tuesday online info & advocacy session from 10:00 to 12 noon. Contact tbiwsg@gmail.com to be on the mailing list to get notices and the Zoom link for the weekly TBIWSG sessions

IWC is thrilled to share its first episode of InjuredWorkerCast, a podcast produced by Injured Workers Community Legal Clinic that captures conversations about workers compensation, health and safety across the province and beyond.

Our goal is to give voice to injured worker stories and experiences, highlight important research and critically analyze the laws and policies that affect the lives of workers both here at home and around the world.

Episode 1 features a conversation between Tebasum Durani and John McKinnon, who are both lawyers here at IWC. John and Tabasum discuss how Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is funded, why it is funded that way, and also a controversial decision for Ontario’s WSIB to hand over $2.5 billion dollars to employers in the lead up to an anticipated spring election.

Of course, they mention the newly released report What Injured Workers Need,

Future episodes – which we aim to release monthly – will feature guests from many parts of the injured & ill worker and health & safety sectors.

You can tune in on Youtube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. 

Our next monthly Know Your Rights meeting for injured and ill workers will take place on Wednesday December 11 from 1pm to 3pm. with an educational session on experience rating and group discussion of the WSIB’s employers rebates.

The events are hybrid (on zoom/phone AND in person at our office) and are divided into two parts, with the first generally being an educational presentation, and the second half consisting of more interactive discussions. This month, both halves will discuss how the WSIB is funded.

You may have heard talk about how the WSIB is giving $2.5 billion in rebates to “safe employers”. On the one hand, it’s very simple: WSIB is indeed planning on giving $2.5 billion dollars of money it has in its bank account to employers. But there are some tricky words and complicated math happening in the background.

We will have an educational session that covers some of the following topics.

• Where does WSIB’s money come from?
• How does WSIB set employer premiums (what is experience rating?)
• Why do some people think experience rating works?
• Does it work? What are its limitations?
• What is a “rebate” and what does WSIB mean by “safe employers?”

After the educational session, we will have a group discussion on WSIB’s plan to give this money to employers and responses.

If you are attending on zoom or by phone, you need to register to get sent login/call-in information. If you are attending in person, we still request that you register if you are able, so we know how many to expect. Register Now.

If you are attending online or by phone, information on how to join on Zoom or by phone will be emailed to you after you register. 

IWC has an 8-month job opening, starting January 2025. We are seeking a community development worker who can educate, organize and advocate for injured workers on issues of law and policy reform related to Ontario’s workers’ compensation system.

• Download full job posting

We welcome indigenous peoples, people of colour, people living with disabilities and other marginalized persons to apply for this position. Your expertise and experience is needed and valued at our organization.

Letters of application should be sent by email to info@iwc.clcj.ca with the subject line “Hiring Committee” and will be accepted until December 9, 2024. While we thank all those who apply, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

— Date: Wednesday November 13, 2024
— Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm
— Location: In person at the clinic (815 Danforth Ave. Suite 411) or by Zoom or telephone

Dear Friends,
We hope you and your families are well. This is our 55th year of working with the injured worker community! We would like to invite you to join us at our 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.

To join our online meeting by Zoom, register and a link will be sent to you by email.

• Register at this this website before the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMocemsqjIoGNciwHiiil3JON3yEZvJppGd
• If you prefer to join by telephone, before the day of the meeting call/leave a message at (416) 461-2411 / 1 (833) 461-2411 to arrange this.
• If you need accommodations please call the number above or email info@iwc.clcj.ca

Our keynote speaker this year is renowned legal scholar and York University Law School professor emeritus Harry Glasbeek. He has written extensively about the relationship between laws, corporations and workers. He will talk about his latest book “Law at Work: The Coercion and Co-option of the Working Class.” Through a series of historical examples he challenges modern concepts of justice and describes how law has been used to ensure that workers’ aspirations are kept in check and the legal system legitimizes the exploitation of workers.

Sincerely,
INJURED WORKERS COMMUNITY LEGAL CLINIC
Correen, Chris, Rebecca, David, Audrey, Kathrin, Tebasum, Orlando & John

Attachments:

• AGM 2024 Notice
• AGM Agenda
• IWC Audited Financial Statement

Agenda

6:00 Welcome, Land Acknowledgement, Introductions
6:15 Report on past year activities
6:30 Introduction of guest speaker

Law at Work: The Coercion and Co-option of the Working Class
Harry Glasbeek
Followed by discussion

7:30 Business meeting

• Board of Directors election
• Auditor’s Report 2023-24
  Posted on www.iwclc.org
• Appointment of auditors

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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 November 13th 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