Board Funding Review (2010 - 2012)

Update:

Arthurs report "Funding fairness" released May 4, 2012 [read here]
Ministry of Labour responds with announcement of new regulation [pdf]
WSIB Agency Review - Harry Arthurs speaks to the Standing Committee [Hansard, July 4, 2012]
"Cohn: How the Liberals buried a $14 billion liability late in the day" (Toronto Star, June 4, 2012)

In September 2010 the WSIB announced a funding review chaired by Professor Harry Arthurs to consider the Board's financial future. This announcement followed the release of a series on reports, including the 2009 Chair's Consultation report and 2009 Auditor General's report.

The Review considered unfunded liability, premium rate setting, rate groups, employer incentive programs (experience rating), funding occupational disease claims and indexation of benefits. Details of the review, public consultations and documents are available on the website wsib.fundingreview.ca - including "Funding Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance System: A Green Paper for public discussion" [pdf]. The original response deadline was extended to allow follow-up on submissions and commentary on technical papers released.

Although the Chair did not deliver his final report and recommendations until May 2012, some changes affecting workers' compensation finance were already made through amendments to the Act passed in Bill 135 (Dec. 2010).

Having your say

In-person public hearings were held in: Toronto - April 5th, 6th, 7th, 26th, 27th, 28th, May 3rd; Hamilton - April 18th; London - April 21st; Sudbury - April 12th; Thunder Bay - April 13th; Windsor - April 20th

Thanks to all those across the province who spoke in these hearings - the injured worker community and ONIWG can be proud! In cities around the province, Professor Arthurs heard from many individuals as well as those representing injured worker groups . In Toronto, thirty spoke, and three could not make it but wrote letters.

What stories he heard! He heard from injured workers who have been further injured by their employers and the WCB/WSIB. He heard that it is injured workers who have an unfunded liability, called poverty. He heard that some employers abuse and harass workers to get rebates. He heard that the Funding Review is about people, not about mathematical formulas. He heard that we want "universal coverage to be covered" in the review and he promised to comment on this issue even if not within his mandate. He heard from the daughter of an injured worker, who had already lost a father, that she was now worried about losing her mother (an injured worker under stress). He heard so much that cannot be summarized here...

Responses from the injured worker & labour community

See also Media coverage and Funding Review website for links to all posted submissions as received

Presentations from injured workers and their advocates to the public hearings (April - May, 2011) and followup submissions:

  • ONIWG Preliminary [pdf] ; Supplementary [pdf] (Aug. 31) ; ONIWG/OFL additional submission on indexation of benefits [pdf] (Nov. 18) ¦ Bright Lights' [pdf] (accompanied by the many, many letters that have been sent over the years on these issues) ¦ Thunder Bay & District Injured Workers' Support Group [pdf] ¦ Women of Inspiration's followup to submission (June 13) [pdf]

    » Injured workers: Italia Altobelli [pdf] ¦ Concetta Branca [pdf] ¦ Greg Brown [pdf] ¦ Rose Courtney [pdf] ¦ Robin Faye [pdf] ¦ Eugene LeFrançois [pdf] ¦ Antonio Mauro [pdf] ¦ Emma Osso [pdf] ¦ Dimitrios Petropoulos [pdf] ¦ Fatemeh Pour-Jamshidi-Jerandeh [pdf] ¦ Shufan Ren [pdf] ¦ Myra Strzalka [pdf] ¦ Jules Tupker [pdf] ¦ Ippokratis Velgakis [pdf]

  • IAVGO Community Legal Clinic [pdf] ; 2nd supplementary submission [pdf] (Nov. 18) ¦ IWC Community Legal Clinic [pdf] ; Followup submissions (June 15)[pdf] & (Aug 31) [pdf] ; (Nov. 18) [pdf] ¦ Toronto Workers' Health and Safety Legal Clinic [pdf] ¦ Experience Rating Working Group [pdf] ¦ Hamilton Community Legal Clinic [pdf] ¦ Ontario Legal Clinics Workers' Compensation Network [pdf]
  • OCEU/CUPE Ontario [pdf] ¦ CAW Locals 707 & 112 [pdf]
  • Robert Storey, researcher (Meredith principles) [pdf]
  • Kate Lushington, Injured Worker Speaker School coordinator [pdf]
  • Bonita Heath, researcher (disability and poverty) [presentation slides - ppt]

Other responses about the review and the process:

  • "Justice - speedily and humanely rendered" (IWHP bulletin no. 11, June 2011)
  • CUPE Ontario media advisory " Fair treatment for all Ontario's injured workers" (with links to backgrounder Apr. 4-5, 2011
  • Thunder Bay & District letter to the editor (The Chronicle-Journal, Feb. 8, 2011) [pdf]
  • Bright Lights Injured Workers Group letter to David Marshall, WCB/WSIB President, Nov. 26, 2010 [pdf]
  • Workers' compensation platforms - a letter from Michael S. Green to the political leaders requesting that they offer clear choices on the key issues of funding and benefit levels [pdf]
  • ONIWG recommendations on the Funding Review mandate and process - letter to the Minister of Labour, Oct. 19, 2010 [pdf]
  • Women of Inspiration express concerns about the Funding Review in a letter to the WCB/WSIB President, Oct. 15, 2010 [pdf]
  • Bright Lights Injured Workers Group letter to Premier McGuinty on the Funding Review, Oct. 14, 2010 [pdf]. Cover letters to the WCB/WSIB [pdf] and Minister of Labour [pdf]
    Response from WCB/WSIB President (Oct. 27, 2010) [pdf]
  • ONIWG media release: "New WSIB funding review - are Ontario's injured workers on the chopping block again?" Oct. 4, 2010 [Text]