An argument for every employer in Ontario to have to join WSIB

Our reader E. Hawkins, responds to the “WSIB claims denial binge” issue, first raised by Alec Caldwell here, many months ago.

WSIB has become a self-serving, money making business for the provincial government

The government has gone after the businesses who are the least able to pay: small businesses. Another shortsighted decision by a government who is more interested in listening to their corporate buddies than doing what is best for Ontario. Independent contractors are the least able to pass on these costs to customers. Small businesses are the real job creators in any economy: hiring various labourers and apprentices. Shame.

Approximately 30%-35% of workers do not have WSIB coverage and many of these jobs have less risk of physical injuries than labourers and sub-contractors. ALL employers should be required to be part of WSIB and ALL premiums paid by small businesses need to be lower, especially when one considers the challenges faced by private contractors. Retail, banks and insurance companies should be forced to pay into this plan: This would then reduce the level of premiums needed from other businesses.

That said, WSIB hasn’t been paying for injuries and disabilities anyway, in most cases. Perhaps WSIB will pay for short term injuries but they haven’t been paying for the permanently disabled now.

Injured Workers and Poverty Survey 2010
Many Losses, Much Hardship
The Real Impact of Work Injury
FAST FACTS
• Before injury, 89% were employed full time; after injury 9%
• Nearly one in five lost their homes after injury
• Nearly one quarter had moved in with family or friends at some point after their injuries
• One in five injured workers could no longer afford a car
• Food bank use rose from 5 to 77 people after work injury
• 20% reported an overnight hospital stay the last 12 months (most because of the work injury) compared with 7% for the general population of Canadians
• Over half had not been able to afford medications in the past 12 months
• 57% of injured workers in the study were unemployed
For more information: www.http://www.injuredworkersonline.org

So where are employer premiums going? One only needs to look at Ontario’s sunshine list where their are 100s of WSIB workers making well in excess of $100,000.00 plus bonuses for denying and limiting benefits to injured and disabled workers who are being forced into years of appeals for legitimate benefits. Management has introduced illegal policies that cut benefits and services paid to the permanently disabled. Therefore, injured and disabled workers are not receiving the benefits promised at 85% of wages and health care coverage; thousands have been forced onto welfare and to commit suicide.

Where else are these premiums going? Rebates in the form of experience ratings. Businesses are fined after workers have been injured and killed then WSIB turns around and provides certain big businesses huge rebates that are well in excess of these fines. This basically results in these certain businesses are receiving a refund for the premiums paid into WSIB. Who are these big businesses? I do not know but I can only guess they are supportive of this government. Many policies and practices by WSIB’s management are illegal and criminal since WSIB was suppose to be independent, non-adversarial and gathers of information for the administration of social benefits to injured and disabled workers. Much like EI is for the unemployed where legitimate benefits are to be paid in full. The WSIB system is suppose to fair and unbiased for the benefit for all. This has not been the case for many years since some businesses are not paying their fair share of premiums leaving some to pay more than they should.

WSIB workers are way overpaid for the work they do. WSIB should not be paying huge fees for doctors and clinics to rubber stamps benefit denials and ignoring medical specialist reports. Corruption!! All law abiding citizens need to let WSIB and the government know that this will not be tolerated anymore. Whether this is through protesting or through a Class Action Lawsuit for WSIB’s decisions that are illegal, patently unreasonable and beyond their authority. Businesses and Labour need to unit against this common enemy, this corrupt agency, WSIB.

As noted in this article, WSIB has paid for and created these many clinics across the province(likely paid for through WSIB premiums) to override medical reports from treating specialists in there determination to deny legitimate claimants. Visit any injured worker FB sites to hear some of the horror stories of your fellow Canadians. Injured workers forced by WSIB under the threat of having their benefits cut to go to these “clinics” for an evaluation of their injuries. Workers who have just had surgery by their specialist to repair the damage of their injuries and WSIB was advised these injured workers were medically unfit for any work. On these websites are disabled workers who have been abused by WSIB’s clinics where physiotherapists have permanently disabled these injured workers. How? Physiotherapists forcefully tearing out surgical repairs done specialists when testing for Range of Motion(RAM). Imagine your surgeon advising you to not use your arm, leg or back after surgery but a physiotherapist forces these injuries past their safe zone and ripping out the work of these surgeons.

Check out some of these FB site of disabled workers talking among themselves: Occupy WSIB…, Injured workers fighting WSIB, WSIB/WCB needs to change… The reason employer premiums are as high as they are has nothing to do with disabled workers since WSIB IS ON A DENIAL BINGE. Normal age related conditions are also being used to deny claims for any benefits. Canadians would be shocked since many strategies being used by WSIB are both illegal and a Charter violation. There is no point in paying WSIB premiums for older workers who may have osteoarthritis since WSIB will never pay these claims anyway.