Don’t make them wait any longer. I’m calling on you and your government to act now to support injured workers and their families, and create a genuinely worker-centered WCB. Please implement the changes recommended by the Patterson Report as soon as possible, including:
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Amend the Workers Compensation Act to:
- create a Fair Practices Commission independent of the WCB to deal with individual and systemic complaints and to implement solutions;
- remove binding policy provisions and allow decisions to be made on the merits and justice of the case. Ensure workers are treated as individuals, with dignity and respect;
- ensure an equal balance of worker and employer representatives on the WCB Board of Directors;
- mandate vocational rehabilitation to get workers back to real and sustainable jobs; and
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end discriminatory barriers to compensation for psychological injury and chronic pain.
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Pay interest to workers when the WCB wrongly denies a worker benefits and they must endure a lengthy delay.
- Ensure the WCB implements the changes laid out in the Patterson Report to create a worker-centred approach that puts the recovery and safety of injured workers at the forefront of the compensation system.