Queen’s Park, June 1, 2016 – I rise today on behalf of the NDP caucus to recognize the hundreds of injured workers and their families and allies who have come from across the province to rally here at Queen’s Park, just as they have done every June 1 for more than 30 years.
In particular, as MPP for London West, I want to acknowledge the London and District Injured Workers’ Group and give a special shout-out to friends I made last Friday who stopped in London during the second annual Justice for Injured Workers Ride. These four cyclists began their journey in Windsor on May 25 and arrived in Toronto today as a means of raising awareness of injured workers’ fight for fair and just compensation.
Since November 2015, they have been supported in that fight by the OFL and more than 20 health care professionals who have come forward to expose the WSIB’s shameful treatment of injured workers and to urge a formal investigation by the Ontario Ombudsman. These medical experts have confirmed that the WSIB is denying legitimate claims, forcing workers to return to work too soon, cutting benefits and re-victimizing the very workers it is supposed to protect.
Speaker, any Ontarian with knowledge of what the WSIB is doing to injured workers should contact the Ombudsman now. If the Liberals won’t listen to injured workers and health care professionals, maybe they will listen to the Ombudsman.