REPEAT - Injured Workers Media Conference

TORONTO, May 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups (ONIWG) and community members/allies¹ will be holding a media conference on May 31 addressing the damaging Value for Money Audit Report by KPMG management consultants on the WSIB appeals and resolution processes.

“The WSIB has accepted the recommendations from KPMG that are designed to restrict access to the appeal system. This runs counter to the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability (UN CRPD),” said Wayne Harris, ONIWG Vice president. “The courts normally allow 2 years to launch an action. WSIB is proposing to restrict workers’ rights (workers with a disability) to filing an appeal to 30 days; and, this is happening at a time when the WSIB has a surplus of over $7 billion.”

The WSIB hired a consulting company, KPMG, to audit the appeals and dispute resolution processes. The recommendations from the report create impossible timelines in the appeals process for injured workers and representatives to meet creating additional barriers to justice. The recommendations attack the rights of injured workers’, both as workers and individuals living with disabilities, under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act and the UN CRPD.

Representatives will make statements and be available to speak to the media:

• Janice Folk-Dawson, Ontario Federation of Labour,
• Wayne Harris, ONIWG
• Maryth Yachnin, Industrial Accident Victims’ Group of Ontario (IAVGO)
• MPP Lise Vaugeois, NDP WSIB Critic

For more information:
Francis Pineda, Injured Workers Community Legal Clinic
647-891-2083 (cell)
francis.pineda@iwc.clcj.ca

¹ Allies participating include the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), the Industrial Accidents Victims Group of Ontario (IAVGO), and Ontario’s Official Opposition, NDP.