NDP: Ford denying injured workers compensation while corporations pocket surpluses

QUEEN'S PARK - Official Opposition NDP WSIB and Injured Workers Critic, Lise Vaugeois (Thunder Bay—Superior North), along with Labour Critic Jamie West (Sudbury), are amplifying calls by The Ontario Network of Injured Workers’ Groups (ONIWG) and Occupational Disease Reform Alliance (ODRA) to reform injured workers compensation as the Ford Conservatives persistently deny worker supports while corporations continue to enjoy surpluses:

"WSIB and the Ford government continue to deny support for workers who get cancer on account of their work," said Vaugeois. "And people with permanent disabilities from workplace accidents also have their claims routinely denied. Instead of helping workers in need, Minister Fedeli is forcing workers to use up their savings and apply for public support so he can return massive surpluses to corporations. This is a crime.

Workers' compensation was intended to be a pool of resources from businesses to support workers in their time of need. It's long overdue for this government to recognize its responsibility and right the wrongs taking place at the WSIB."

A recent government study has shown that only around 170 of the approximately 3,000 annual fatal occupational cancer cases in Ontario are compensated, meaning the remaining workers, their families, and Ontario taxpayers bear the costs rather than the employers of Ontario. Ford's Conservatives are maintaining WSIB assessment rates at the lowest level in history for 2024.

"Ford's conservatives continue to cruelly abandon injured workers, leaving them unsupported in the twilight of their lives," said West. “Victims of occupational diseases face financial ruin and physical agony, all while Ford's government turns a blind eye. This government has failed to recognize its responsibility to injured workers in this province for far too long. The government has a moral obligation to these workers—it's a matter of lives, not just livelihoods.

Ford’s Conservatives must support injured workers with fair and timely compensation and end this despicable practice of routinely denying valid claims. We demand immediate and substantial changes to support these forgotten workers."