THUNDER BAY — The province is giving billions of dollars to businesses that labour advocates say should be going to injured workers.
The Thunder Bay & District Injured Workers Support Group said they were shocked when the Ford government announced Thursday that it is returning over $2.5 billion to employers through fee reductions and Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) rebates.
A media release from the Premier’s office stated "these measures will pump billions of dollars back into the economy, helping to rebuild Ontario’s economy and support workers."
"Ontario is putting more money back into workers’ pockets, keeping costs down for safe businesses and investing in health and safety," the release said.
“It's actually taking money out of workers' pockets and putting it into corporations that we know are getting record profits in many instances these days. It just seems totally unfair,” said Steve Mantis, treasurer of the Thunder Bay and District Injured Workers' Support Group.
Mantis said benefits lost over a decade ago have yet to be restored but that with the WSIB
“Fifteen years ago, government said there's going to be hardship to pay, but once we've balanced the books, we'll be able to restore benefits.
“Here we are 15 years later, the books are not only balanced, but there are billion-dollar surpluses created in the system yet workers benefits lost starting 15 years ago, none of them have been restored.
Mantis said the government has refused to move forward to help these workers who get hurt through no fault of their own, doing their job at work.
“The system is supposed to be there to assist them to be able to live a decent life if they become permanently injured or permanently disabled and the system's falling down on that."
Mantis said the system does not keep track of what happens to workers long-term.
“What we have been doing for 25 years, is working with academics and one of the leading research centres is based in Toronto, called the Institute for Work and Health.
“They did a study recently that found that the interaction that the workers injured workers had with the case managers at the WSIB was causing them mental illness.
"The system that's supposed to be helping you, is in fact worsening the situation," he said.
“It's like we're throwaways, we're like damaged goods, they just throw you in the dump. That's how it really feels for many of these workers,” he said.
There was a study done by street health in Toronto on homelessness, he said.
“The workers that provide medical care for free, for homeless people in downtown Toronto, they found 50 per cent of the people that they talked to that were homeless, were hurt at work,” he said.
Thunder Bay & District Injured Workers Support Group issued a media release on Thursday in response to the Premier’s announcement.
“Decades of cuts to injured worker benefits . . . have left many permanently injured and ill workers in financial and emotional ruin.
“Heading into a potential spring election, injured workers had begun to hope that some of their decimated benefits may be restored with all of the extra money the Compensation Board brags about having in their bank."
The release ended by saying, “the WSIB has chosen to make wealthy employers $2.5 billion wealthier as they head into 2025. Shame on them.”
Thunder Bay–Superior North MPP Lise Vaugeois also issued a statement in response to the Ford government’s announcement.
“Since 2019, this government has gifted billions in WSIB premiums back to employers, but the misery of injured workers hasn’t changed.
“Tens of thousands remain in poverty. Instead of taking action that would have real and lasting impacts for workers — like ending the practice of deeming or increasing loss-of-earnings rates from 85% to 90% to lift workers out of poverty.
“The massive surpluses generated by the WSIB are a direct result of the massive denial rates to workers injured or made ill on the job. The Ford government is serving up empty promises of trickle-down benefits. Injured workers deserve better,” Vaugeois said.
