TORONTO, May 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The WSIB continues to come under fire from injured workers and supporters, with a rally at Queen’s Park taking place on Saturday June 1st at 11am, alongside events in at least three other cities. Organized by the Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups (ONIWG), the rally is a celebration of injured worker resiliency and power in the face of decades of cuts to benefits and services.
“In the last handful of years, the WSIB has handed over literally billions of dollars to wealthy employers,” said ONIWG’s acting President Willy Noiles. “We know where this money came from,” he continued, “it has been taken from injured workers after more than a decade of austerity that has driven injured workers into poverty.”
The rally comes on the heels of a number of injured worker-led victories over the past year, including successfully stopping an attempted dismantling of WSIB’s appeals system, and a landmark Tribunal decision protecting many migrant workers from WSIB mistreatment.
“Injured workers are no stranger to fighting back,” said Noiles. “We have been coming out in force to Queen’s Park on June 1st for over 40 years. We know we are stronger together and we are here to celebrate that strength, and to remind Ontarians of how important the compensation system is. It must be strengthened so it is there for you when you need it. An injury to one is an injury to all.”
The rally also serves as a launching pad for ONWIG’s ambitious Injured & Ill Worker Outreach Tour, which will visit 25 cities and towns over the next two years to build province-wide connections and strengthen injured worker voices. The first event takes places in London on June 22nd. For more information on the tour, visit tinyurl.com/ONIWGtour.
For more information, please contact:
Willy Noiles: 289-219-4473
Additional spokespeople will be available onsite for interviews
Related Events:
London: June 1st • 11am • Victoria Park (NW Corner)
Windsor: June 1st • Tecumseh & Ouellette (Flag Pole)
Thunder Bay: May 30th • 10am • City Hall Flag Raising
