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Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
OFL Commemorates First Official Injured Workers' Day and Demands Recognition Be Met with Justice
TORONTO, June 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One year after celebrating the successful second reading of the Injured Workers' Day Bill, the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) proudly stands today with injured workers, community groups, allies, ONDP Leader Marit Stiles, and ONDP MPP and Shadow Minister for Labour, Mining, and Energy, Jamie West to mark the first officially recognized Injured Workers' Day in Ontario. 'For over four decades, injured workers have fought to be seen, heard, and protected,' said Laura Walton, OFL President. 'Today, we can proudly say their fight is recognized in law, but the work to fix a broken workers' compensation system is far from done.' In Toronto, injured workers and allies gathered at Queen's Park for a rally featuring speeches from injured workers, MPP Jamie West, and supporters. Rallies also took place in London, Oshawa, Peterborough, Thunder Bay, and Windsor, led by the Ontario Network of Injured Workers' Groups (ONIWG). Jamie West added the collective effort behind the legislation: 'Whenever I'm congratulated for passing 'my bill,' I remind people this is really 'our bill'. I tabled Bill 118: Injured Workers Day Act, but it wouldn't have existed without the injured worker groups who made it clear that June 1 had never been officially recognized by the province.' In April 2024, the OFL partnered with ONIWG and launched the Injured Workers' Bill of Rights, outlining a bold, worker-driven platform for justice. Today, the OFL's Injured Workers Committee continues to push for those urgent and unmet demands which include, full and fair compensation, an end to deeming, equitable healthcare access, and strong protections for migrant and precarious workers. David Newberry from Injured Workers Community Legal Clinic added, 'This year's official proclamation of 'Injured Workers' Day' by the legislature is very exciting and deeply meaningful, but it needs to be followed up with meaningful action that makes a material difference in the lives of the workers who lost their health at work and are struggling in poverty and pain.' The OFL and its allies will continue the fight to transform Ontario's workers' compensation system, because recognition alone is not justice. No worker should be punished or neglected for being injured at work. Media Contact:Jenny SellathuraiDirector of Communications, Ontario Federation of Labourjsellathurai@ | 416-894-3456 cj/COPE343Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
After 40 Years, Ontario Finally Recognizes Injured Workers' Day
TORONTO and LONDON, Ontario and OSHAWA, Ontario and PETERBOROUGH, Ontario and THUNDER BAY, Ontario, June 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Injured & ill workers will gather at Queen's Park and across the province as they have done every June 1st for 43 summers. This year, however, they come together for the first ever provincially proclaimed Injured Workers' Day, thanks to the passage of Bill 118 – The Injured Workers' Day Act. 'Making Injured Workers' Day official helps make our long-term struggle visible in Ontario,' says Janet Paterson, president of the Ontario Network of Injured Workers' Groups, 'but until it is accompanied by meaningful action to help address the poverty we face, it isn't enough.' In the last year alone, the Ontario Government and Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) have handed over $4.5 billion dollars in 'rebates' to employers – bringing the total handouts to over $20 billion since 2017 – while overall benefits paid to workers are near historic lows amidst a culture of claims denial, claims suppression, and benefit cuts by the WSIB and rich employers. For too many workers in Ontario, an injury means poverty and pain. 'This is the Premier and the WSIB reaching into injured workers' pockets and taking our money in order to hand it over to their rich friends – the bosses who did this to us in the first place,' said Wayne Harris, executive vice-president for ONIWG. 'These are not taxpayer dollars, they comes from a fund that employers pay into that is meant to look after the workers that they injure.' Injured, ill, and migrant workers demand that this reckless practice of corporate handouts ends until their basic needs are met. The government and WSIB must immediately: Stop 'deeming' injured workers by pretending we have jobs that we can't get. Provide real healthcare to injured & ill workers. Stop practices that systematically discriminate against migrant workers. This year's Injured Workers' Day events took place in six cities. Details below. Event Details & Media Contacts Toronto: June 1st • Queen's Park • 11am to 1pm Provincial Media Coordinator – Matthew Pi: 416-461-2423 London: June 1st • Victoria Park • 11am to 1pm • Northwest CornerRally organizer Kevin Jones – Home phone: 519- 936-6715Kevin will also be available at event for media inquiries Oshawa: *THURSDAY MAY 29th • Justice for Injured Workers Event hosted by Durham Regional Labour Council • 6:30pm – 8:30pm • IBEW East Hall • 1001 Ritson Rd. VP Wayne Harris: 289-830-2103 Peterborough: June 1st • Millennium Park • Noon • North end of the pathwayPeterborough Occupational Disease Action Committee Rep Sue James: 705-876-1150 Thunder Bay: *FRIDAY MAY 30th • City Hall • 10am. ONIWG VP Eugene Lafrancois: 807-767-7827 Windsor: June 1st • Corner of Ouellette & Tecumseh • 11am • At the flagpoleONIWG VP Liz Garant: 226-961-3906Sign in to access your portfolio
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Injured Workers' Day rally taking place in London on Sunday
Rallies will be taking place across Ontario today - including in London - to mark Injured Workers' Day. Injured and ill workers across Ontario will gather to mark the 43rd Annual Injured Workers' Day - the first to be officially proclaimed by the Ontario Legislature following the passage of Bill 118 - The Injured Workers' Day Act. While workers and advocates state this official recognition of the day is an important milestone, they state that meaningful change must follow. Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups (ONIWG) is calling attention to ongoing injustices faced by injured workers such as denied healthcare and systemic discrimination, especially against migrant workers, over $20-billion in WSIB employer rebates, and harmful practices that cut compensation benefits. The rally in London will take place at 11 a.m. on June 1 on the northwest corner of Victoria Park. 060125_occupy WSIB injured workers day London rally June 1 is Injured Workers Day and there will be a rally in London (Source: Occupy WSIB) Kendal McKinney, member of the research and action committee with ONIWG, says the group has been marking the day unofficially before this year. 'This is the first Injured Workers' Day that is officially recognized by the Province of Ontario as Injured Workers' Day. So we're trying to bring attention and awareness to the plight of injured workers, and the state of the workers comp system.' He says the current system is failing for these individuals. 'We actually do have a replacement act that is hopefully going to be introduced by a private Member's bill in the legislature in the fall. So, the idea is to raise awareness, and hopefully rally support behind this drive to put workers in a much, much better situation than they're in right now.' McKinney says these workers are not alone. 'One of the things that this is for that is also really, really important just as much if not more so then reaching the general public with this information is for injured workers to see each other, and understand that they are not alone.' This year's Injured Workers' Day events will take place in six cities including Toronto, London, Oshawa, Peterborough, Thunder Bay, and Windsor. More information can be found by clicking here. - by Meagan Delaurier, Rob Hindi, AM800, with files from CTV News London's Bailey Shakyaver
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Injured Workers' Day rally taking place in Windsor on Sunday
Rallies will be taking place across Ontario today - including in Windsor - to mark Injured Workers' Day. Injured and ill workers across Ontario will gather to mark the 43rd Annual Injured Workers' Day - the first to be officially proclaimed by the Ontario Legislature following the passage of Bill 118 - The Injured Workers' Day Act. While workers and advocates state this official recognition of the day is an important milestone, they state that meaningful change must follow. Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups (ONIWG) is calling attention to ongoing injustices faced by injured workers such as denied healthcare and systemic discrimination, especially against migrant workers, over $20-billion in WSIB employer rebates, and harmful practices that cut compensation benefits. The rally in Windsor will take place at 11 a.m. on June 1 at the corner of Ouellette Avenue and Tecumseh Road. 060125_workers rights injured strike windsor An Injured Workers' Day rally will be taking place in Windsor on Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Source: Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups) Kendal McKinney, member of the research and action committee with ONIWG, says the group has been marking the day unofficially before this year. 'This is the first Injured Workers' Day that is officially recognized by the Province of Ontario as Injured Workers' Day. So we're trying to bring attention and awareness to the plight of injured workers, and the state of the workers comp system.' He says the current system is failing for these individuals. 'We actually do have a replacement act that is hopefully going to be introduced by a private Member's bill in the legislature in the fall. So, the idea is to raise awareness, and hopefully rally support behind this drive to put workers in a much, much better situation than they're in right now.' McKinney says these workers are not alone. 'One of the things that this is for that is also really, really important just as much if not more so then reaching the general public with this information is for injured workers to see each other, and understand that they are not alone.' This year's Injured Workers' Day events will take place in six cities including Toronto, London, Oshawa, Peterborough, Thunder Bay, and Windsor. More information can be found by clicking here. - by Meagan Delaurier, Rob Hindi, AM800
