Opposition to Downloading Workers' Compensation
to Municipalities

One of the outcomes of increasing cuts to benefits for injured workers is the growing number of injured workers who cannot work and are forced to seek benefits from Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). Injured workers' groups are making presentations to municipal councils, calling on them to examine how WSIB benefit cuts will result in the downloading of benefit costs for disabled workers from employers to the municipalities. Municipalities will end up being impacted by increased applications for OW and ODSP, housing supports and food banks. Municipalities were not consulted about the changes to the WSIB benefits policies.

The Niagara and District Injured Workers Group made a presentation to the Niagara Regional Council to expose the downloading of employer responsibility for injured workers onto the municipalities. In response to the injured workers' presentation, Niagara Regional Council has sent a letter to WSIB Chair Elizabeth Witmer, the Minister of Labour and Niagara MPPs demanding an extension of the April 30 Draft Benefits Policies consultation deadline. Council said it needs time to study the impacts of the benefit policy changes. This disregard for the municipalities and the challenges they will face exposes the WSIB and government initiatives on injured worker compensation as anti-social wrecking activity.

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