People gathered in person and online Wednesday to raise awareness and support over concern that injured workers over 65 aren’t getting the benefits to adequately support them.
The Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups held an online meeting and gathered at the OPSEU office on Memorial Avenue to ask the provincial government for continued funding for injured people 65 years and older under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
Steve Mantis is the treasurer of the Thunder Bay and District Injured Workers’ Support Group and the chair of our Provincial Research Action Committee.
“Our direct ask [to the province] is to remove the limitation on compensation benefits at the age 65 as well as the provision that was put in place to replace the loss of Canada pension benefits to make sure that that is equal to what actually people would lose through Canada pension.”
He indicated that compensation benefits would need to be increased to replace Canada pension benefits lost to individual claimants.
“There would need to be an additional contribution of about 15 per cent on top of a worker’s compensation benefits. Now, it’s only five per cent,” Mantis said.
NDP MPP Lise Vaugeois, the official critic for WSIB and Injured Workers, spoke to Dougall Media about changes she’s drafting to propose regarding the age cutoff for WSIB benefits.
She would like to see changes that reflect the original intent of the safety board’s Meredith Principles.
“The original Meredith Principles said that that the worker would be supported for the duration of their injury or disability, and if necessary, for life and that the injury and the condition of the worker would never become a financial burden on their family or on the public.
“And that’s exactly the opposite of where we are today.”
Vaugeois said Minister David Piccini, minister for labour, immigration, training and skills development, has heard her speak at Queen’s Park on these issues.
“We hear things from Jeff Lang, who is the current CEO of the WSIB, saying that everything is great there and that they don’t need any changes.
“I think that’s a response to the kinds of issues I’ve been raising.”
Other presenters in the meeting said the board’s practice of stopping or cancelling benefits to people 65 and older is discriminatory.
By Katie Nicholls, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
