Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Insuring Our Front-line Healthcare Heroes

All of Ontario’s healthcare workers deserve the peace of mind of WSIB, especially as they fight to protect our province’s health

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By Paul Wilson, Research and Education Director

For many years CLAC has advocated for legislation that would extend the workplace insurance offered by Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) to workers in retirement homes, residential care facilities, and group homes. CLAC represents more than 2,000 workers in these healthcare sectors and has had some success in getting the attention of lawmakers on this issue.

Legislation has been proposed on two occasions. Most recently, in July 2020, Bill 194, the WSIB Coverage for Workers in Residential Care Facilities and Group Homes Act, passed first reading in the Ontario Legislature. Unfortunately, no progress has happened since.

CLAC remains committed and continues to push for this much-needed change. CLAC’s 2020 Ontario pre-budget submission highlighted the existing coverage gaps, the elimination of WSIB’s $607 million unfunded liability, and the opportunity the current provincial government has to provide WSIB coverage for healthcare workers who are still outside the system. As Ian DeWaard, CLAC Ontario Director, noted in a July 2020 article, “Now is the right time to update the list of workplaces that must provide WSIB coverage.”

CLAC will not let up in its advocacy for extended WSIB coverage. It is simply not fair for our healthcare heroes to be left without a suitable insurance safety net when they are exposed daily to health and safety risks on the job.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the shortcomings in private insurance and underscored the urgent need for the government to address obvious gaps in WSIB coverage. Essential healthcare workers need the protection that insurance provides.

CLAC invites you to join in our efforts to get legislation passed that will extend WSIB coverage to our front-line healthcare heroes. Please let your MPP and other provincial politicians know that you support the extension of WSIB coverage to front-line healthcare workers by taking part in our WSIB for All digital advocacy campaign. It’s fast, it’s simple, and it will make a difference.

Insuring Our Front-line Healthcare Heroes

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