Open Letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty (re: WSIB Experience Rating program)

Letter: McGuinty: dig deeper

"Unfortunately, you are only looking at the tip of the iceberg. While the WSIB has been giving big businesses hundreds of millions of dollars each year in rebates, injured workers are falling into poverty. . . scrap the present experience rating program and restore the WSIB to a system that really helps workers with serious long-term injuries."

The following is an open letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty. I am writing in response to your comments in the Toronto Star newspaper on April 10 entitled “WSIB rebate embarrassing, premier says.” I support your statement that these rebates to companies found guilty of safety violations is something that’s been taking place and is not acceptable.

Unfortunately, you are only looking at the tip of the iceberg. While the WSIB has been giving big businesses hundreds of millions of dollars each year in rebates, injured workers are falling into poverty. A recent survey done in Thunder Bay found 78 per cent of the respondents (injured workers with a permanent disability) were unemployed; 70 per cent were living in poverty and 62 per cent admitted they were depressed.

The experience rating program at the WSIB that hands out these rebates has been promoting companies to hide injuries, challenge claims is fracturing relationships at work. This has to stop.

We want you to scrap the present experience rating program and restore the WSIB to a system that really helps workers with serious long-term injuries.