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October 4 2007

“Shame, shame” - Liberal Steve Peters Broke Promise to Injured Workers

Labour draws eyes to injured workers

Holding placards and chanting, “Shame, shame,” a group of about 50 people journeyed from Toronto, Windsor and elsewhere in Ontario to the Elgin-Middlesex-London campaign office of Liberal candidate Steve Peters.

By Kyle Rea
Times-Journal Staff
They arrived with a message for all parties in the coming provincial election.
Do something about the crisis in workers compensation -- and do it now.
Holding placards and chanting, “Shame, shame,” a group of about 50 people journeyed Tuesday from Toronto, Windsor and elsewhere in Ontario to the Elgin-Middlesex-London campaign office of Liberal candidate Steve Peters.

While they held an hour-long protest outside Peters’ office, organizer Karl Crevar from the Ontario Network of Injured Workers said it’s a message directed at all parties.

“We constantly hear all of them blaming one another. There’s enough blame to go around. We’re demanding that whoever gets elected, we expect them to do something about this crisis.”

The crisis Crevar referred to is the process of “deeming” or how the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board determines benefit levels for injured workers. He says it’s hurting lower-income Ontarians -- and that Peters, who became minister of labour, broke an election promise by not eliminating deeming.

Crevar said his group will continue to press the issue beyond the Oct. 10 election.

Peters, however, challenged the group’s allegations.

“I don’t agree with their statement that it’s a broken promise,” Peters said.
Starting on July 1, 2007, Peters explained, compensation for injured workers increased 2.5 per cent. Similar 2.5 per cent increases are slated for Jan.1, 2008, and Jan. 1, 2009.

As for the process of deeming, Peters said a WSIB policy committee began meeting in the summer and is working with injured workers to come up with a policy. That review, he said, is expected to be completed in November.

“The goal is that the policy reflects the needs of injured workers,” said Peters. “It’s to formulate policies so that they get good jobs, they get properly retrained. In many ways, they (protesters) have jumped the gun because this process is ongoing as we speak.”

http://cgi.bowesonline.com/pedro.php?id=5&x=story&xid=343173

ALSO SEE: INJURED WORKERS BETRAYED BY ANOTHER LIBERAL BROKEN PROMISE

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