QUEEN'S PARK — Ontario NDP Shadow Minister with responsibility for the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) Lise Vaugeois (Thunder Bay—Superior North) blasted today's move to close numerous offices, including all northern regional offices, and cut 500 workers:
"Today's announcement is a complete betrayal," said Vaugeois. "It is a betrayal of workers, and the many among them that suffer from workplace injuries. At a time when the demand for workers in construction, forestry, and mining is increasing, the WSIB has now made it exponentially harder for people to access support.
"Doug Ford's Conservative government has spent nearly their entire time in office attempting to cut support for injured workers. The Premier has made it his mission to withhold billions of dollars meant to be held in trust for workers who became ill or injured on the job, instead giving massive rebates to employers, including those with abysmal safety records.
"This is not a government that is looking out for workers, but one that is ready to throw them on the garbage heap the moment they become sick or injured on the job."