OH THANK GOD, ELIZABETH WITMER IS CONCERNED

Well her concern plus twenty-five cents that sick or dead rubber workers did not receive from Workman's Compensation won't buy them a cup of coffee. That is exactly what her "concern" is worth, that is nothing. Gee where was her concern when many of them fought the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) for years and lost to get their rightfully owed financial compensation to pay for lost work, lost wages and lost family members? While she was collecting her six figure plus salary, sitting in a plush air conditioned office accepting huge work related risks such as a papercut from her paycheque, rubber workers in Kitchener-Waterloo were being poisoned and dosed with carcinogenic chemicals all day long. Carcinogenic chemicals that their employers, scientists, chemists and the government have known about for many, many decades. Some of those same chemicals caused the first diagnosed bladder cancers in Germany in the late 1800s for God's sake!

Today's Waterloo Region Record carries this story titled "Rubber workers' claims to be reviewed." Allegedly a "dedicated review team" from the WSIB will re-examine more than 300 claims filed by rubber workers. Odd but I wonder what that "dedicated review team" are doing right now? The WSIB are understaffed we are told so which other claims will now be set aside to free up staff for this review? I also wonder if the WSIB will re-examine claims from dead rubber workers. Or how about dead rubber workers who either do not have immediate family or they too have passed on? Will the WSIB compensate the estates of rubber workers who lost everything; their health and all their assets paying for health care and prescriptions?

This is simply one more sham by government on the people as the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Kudos to the Record for their series of articles and shame on both the Liberals and Conservatives for continuing to serve the wishes of their corporate clients at the expense of the health, safety and financial needs of the public.