IWC news

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

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.