canadiancontractor
After six years in business, he argues that WSIB was the reason he closed his doors
"My workers made more money than me... I would have made more money if I was on welfare and doing cash jobs..."
It’s been a while since we published one of the thousands of rants we have received about Ontario’s WSIB.
For those Ontario contractors whose blood pressure can stand the spike this post will create, here we go…
The WSIB had overcharged me on my last three years of business before I had to close the doors from all these government fees. They are still hounding me for one last payment and yet they refuse to credit me the thousands they owe me from overpayment. Some BS about not being able to go back past one year of payments. They won’t hesitate to bring up an “adjustment” payment you forgot to make from five years ago however… We have made no claims ever in 15 years of business and never saw a rate decrease but we knew if we made one claim our rate was sure to double up. This WSIB is a scam and will destroy other small businesses like it did mine.
To add insult to injury add a tax hike, $15/hour minimum wage and a huge increase in electrical costs from our Liberal government in Ontario… It means that a zero skilled labour worker has to be charged out to customers at $30/hour for a business to break even. My workers in my six years in business made more money than me. I did the calculations and I would had made more money if I was on welfare and doing cash jobs… A despicable government we have here.
John Doe
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I call it organized legal Mafia.
They have no mercy or remorse for the business owner. I understand there for the employees but without business there is going to be less employees. Between WSIB, SHIT (HST) and employment
They are 100 per cent not there for the employees. They are there for themselves. Period. They are in the business of denying claims. They pocket just under $1 Billion each year — profit… how do you suppose they manage that? They are a monopoly being forced upon us. It’s despicable.
It gets harder and harder to operate a legitimate small business in ontario every year.
The more i sweat. The more i pay to the guys in suits who arent even working with me..
12 years ive worked to end up 10,000 in debt to the liberals. Cant afford to take chances on hiring anybody cause all these new rules could put me further in the hole. They threaten court to pay now but how?
Im terrified of taking chances now..
Im very passionate about my work and i love meeting new people..
Thats all the drive i have. Theres no money to be made here anymore.. Only give it away and if i do take the chance to hire and make one wrong move to them.. I loose it all in penalties.
.. This country will never grow. Especially once minimum wage hits 15$. Every person out there in construction will want 30 to 35 an hour to start. Plus 10$ wsib plus .13 hst. Plus rising prices. Etc…
Everything is ass backwards in this province and not one politition knows how to generate an income flow. Just how to steal..
Heres an example of theft..
With private insurance… When you get hurt. Theres usually a settlement and a deductable…
the injured worker gets his payout with no huge fines.. Just a deductable and an explanation from the boss.
With wsib. When someine gets hurt and its and accident.. The worker or his family dont get squat..
like the time where the guy was safety harnessed to an unwelded pipe and died. Wsib fined the company i think 700,000.. Doesnt matter what the number was. The only company who gained from this was wsib.. The insured worker or his family never saw a penny of that money. Its theft..
We all need to get together as contractors and halt all operations until private insurance is fair game once again so the flow of money creates jobs once again.
10% not 10$ i wish..
WSIB HAS always BEEN A scam.
Insurance IS another SCAM.
Insurance RULES The so called Government.
I had Ins on Biss Then I had to PAY TWO INS.
WHY
Very respectfully, I saddened to hear of another small business closing their doors.
I am a permanently disabled worker who was nearing retirement anyway thankfully. In my early years I also had a small business for nearly 10 years so I understand the frustration felt by all who need to deal with WSIB.
Let us simply start off by stating WSIB is CORRUPT and this is what has been happening.
WSIB gouges and bullies small businesses. It is a complete lie that WSIB can only go back a year when you make a request for information. You can and should request your complete file from WSIB. WSIB only works for WSIB.
Here are some facts that Injured and Disabled groups have that should make small business owners equally angry.
WSIB claims that higher premiums were necessary to cover an Unfunded Liability. These are bills that WSIB might eventually owe but not today but years in the future.
WSIB Rebates are regularly paid to multinational that wipes out the expense of WSIB premiums paid into the plan by them. Small businesses are carrying the full burden of WSIB since they do not have the political influence that multinationals have.
The majority of injured and disabled workers today are completely denied any Loss of Earnings benefits, medical and prescriptions under the guise of pre-existing policies and deeming policies.
So happens to these monies since accidents victims are not getting them. These are used to pay WSIB employees 3-5X more than what they would make anywhere else. The rest has been invested into an investment fund that makes money that the government can access to balance their books or other government pet projects. Brad Wall has used these so called surplus funds created through claim denials to balance the provincial budget. This is fraud and thief. Premiums paid then contract is binding to pay beneficiaries. Disabled workers are suing the WSIB. Join them. Small businesses and workers are all victims of this fraud on the public. http://www.fightwcb.org Ontario citizens deserve better government. WSIB is run by E. Witmer former Tory Minister. NDP in Alberta capped the wages paid to these workers and has been trying to return WCB their to its founding principles.
The US uses private insurance for disability insurance and this is frequently worse for all except the insurance company.
Better to fix WSIB…and WSIB can be sued but it is a bit trickier than a regular insurance company.
WSIB plays us against them employers against workers and workers against employers.
Reality is those who benefits are the multinational big businesses, politicians and WSIB executives. Workers are overpaid but it most be a horrible existence fighting with employers and workers day in and day out.
WSIB executives have created policies that state that the WSIB and WSIAT do not need to respect Canadian Legal Precedent in their decisions and the can ignore Human Rights. Shocking. This violates Charter rights of all disabled workers.
I would like to see the day when a majority of small businesses and workers join forces and sue WSIB for breach of contract. Employers are paying premiums for FULL Liability Insurance that was intended to cover ALL losses a worker suffers from a workplace accident. This was the contract that was agreed to. Instead most workers are being denied any benefits based on so-called pre-existing conditions which in many cases are typical age related health issues such as osteoarthritis. So businesses who have workers 40 plus are paying premiums for workers who WSIB will illegally refuse to pay.
In private insurance, they use the WHAT IF principle. WHAT IF the accident never happened would this person still be disabled today. If the WHAT IF principle is NO. The insurance company can not legally reduce benefits as WSIB has been doing.
WSIB has also been DEEMING workers well and forcing them to return to before they are fit to do so. Creating an unsafe situation in many workplaces. Many are still on heavy pain killers that make it illegal for them to drive. It is not up to an employer to nurse a worker still recovering from an injury back to health in their workplaces. This is what the insurance was for and the reason employers pay premiums. Accommodation of permanent disabilities, yes, but only after a worker has recovered as much as they would recover.
Ontario can thrive when injured and disabled workers are treated fairly and small businesses are treated fairly. WSIB needs to be fixed, citizens can push for change by joining forces.
Private insurance is not the answer since this as many in the US will say big insurance will also bankrupt you.
Big Insurance has influenced WSIB policies and instead of acting as a social safety net and providing services as WCB was meant to be. WSIB is acting as a private insurance monopoly without any checks and balances of its monopoly power. A money maker for this government.
Citizens are paying twice for workplace disabilities. Employer premiums paid by small businesses are collected to pay for these injuries. I will not say big businesses because many big businesses work the system and pay political donations to governments and these businesses often receive WSIB rebates. Since WSIB does not pay and diverts these monies to an investment fund instead, citizens pay again as these disabled workers and their families are forced onto taxpayer funded welfare when they can not work due to their disability.
Big insurance is pushing to take over this market to provide disability insurance. You think dealing with WSIB is bad, look south Big Insurance is worse. The PCs represent big Insurance. The Liberals are simply corrupt and stealing monies meant for the disabled workers and their families. I wish all Ontario citizens the best in the next election. I have since left Ontario. Governments are killing small businesses in Ontario.
My business was killed as well. You spends thousands on taining staff to be safe and still have to pay some random non government business 14%+ of your job just so they can deny a claim. Its not small business that is at fault, its a very poorly run government covering up mistakes they made. People get upset when a poor job is done by a contractor, maybe it’s because they took the cheapest one who doesn’t pay into anything and disappears the next day. The ridiculousness of these fees needs to stop and just goes to show that the government does not want people to start their own business. copyright
I just closed my business today due to a work place injury that left me with a dislocated arm that even after an surgery will never be the same again after 15 years of running my own framing company I had to close my doors thank you wsib for playing games with me we are doing some of the most dangers jobs in the country at least they can do is pay as when we get injured but something good came out of this at least out of my account they are not going to se a dime as long as I live on this country and I m happy for that (amen)
WSIB is a scam through n through and the training is bullshit as all it is is common sense. I will never submit yo this agency as it is predatory in nature.