WSIB SHAM

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is still better known as Workman's Compensation ie. formerly WCB or Workman's Compensation Board. It has been the subject of complaints for decades regardless of the name change. Native Canadians have a long list of grievances including being pressured to get back to work too soon and or not having their injuries and diseases recognized as being from on the job effects. Worse yet are our migrant workers. They are brought into Canada not to do work that Canadians won't do as employers and politicians are fond of lying about but to do work that is dirty, heavy, long hours and poor living conditions all for low wages. If employers were to pay the going rate for labour they would find plenty of students and adults for summer harvests.

The article in last week's Waterloo Region Record is titled "Injured farm worker struggles to survive" and was written by Sara Mojtehedzadeh (Toronto Star). It describes a Jamaican migrant worker thrown from moving truck while on the job at a Niagara friut-picking operation. He sustained traumatic injuries and was deported back to Jamaica. The WSIB claims that they cut his benefits because he allegedly could find customer service work here in Canada. Firstly he has no way to get back to Canada and secondly he is illiterate and has a Grade 4 education. Clearly the WSIB have no interest in looking after him despite his being seriously injured on the job here in Canada. Perhaps migrant workers have the incorrect belief that Canada is a caring nation. The people may be but not so much the employers and our governments.