Calgary Herald cozies up to the WCB

Oct 25th 2009

In an article written on October 24th 2009 the Calgary Herald a subsidiary of Canwest Publishing wrote an article called “WCB not as bad as worst cases indicate.”

Let us examine what possible motive Canwest had in publishing this article.

Long ago a wise man said follow the money trail, and you will find the criminals responsible. The Calgary Herald is now protecting the WCB from the public and one has to ask, “What is the motive?” The Calgary Herald writes a scathing attack on the credibility of injured workers. They completely twist the truth in a deliberate attempt to cover up the negative press WCB is getting.

Maybe I am asking the wrong questions here, maybe I should be asking how many injured worker dollars are going into your newspaper? I challenge you to publicly declare the dollar value of WCB contracts your company (Canwest) earned directly from various Worker Compensation Boards across Canada.

Would the public be shocked at the level of contracts Canwest gets? Is it not based on how happy WCB is with the results of the positive spin your papers put on the image of WCB? Does this not have a bearing on how many lucrative contracts WCB will give to Canwest in coming years?

It would be a blatant lie to say there is no conflict of interest when you on one hand take hundreds of thousands of dollars from the WCB, (if its not in the millions) then pretend you are an independent observer who finds WCB not guilty. Would it not be fair to ask if this article was not a paid advertisement? in itself, or a bid to gain contracts?

Let us not forget one final deliberately glaring "omitted" truth. Under definition of Canada’s disability laws, we are not talking about people with broken thumbs, we are talking about permanently injured workers (also know as Permanently Disabled Workers) who have passed the test of medical definitions under all Canadian laws (CPP included) yet only by signed authority of non medical personnel at WCB are found fit to work.

By every definition set and accepted by the Supreme Court of Canada most of these people are permanently disabled workers, and are being denied benefits.

Another glaring lie by the authors of this attempt at deception is the information the Calgary Herald posted in regards to injured workers satisfaction survey. The author was too stupid to verify the content of his sources, and published misinformation. The statistics in regards to Injured Workers satisfaction is “exclusively” a poll of claimants who receive money. Does it require a rocket scientist to conclude they would not have a problem with WCB? The poll WCB touts as its proof of satisfaction has “never” included injured workers whom WCB has terminated, or even those who are in arbitration. WCB is deceiving Canadians, and Calgary Herald is only too quick to come to their aid, one does have to ask if there are any journalist qualifications required, or is the priority keeping a client happy?

As a society will we allow as a next cost cutting measure going to be, getting rid of our senior citizens because like the permanently injured workers they can no longer contribute to Canada? The Calgary Herald should be ashamed of it actions and post a public apology for putting profits (greed) as a priority to truth and integrity.

Even the response by many of your readers is nothing short of shock and dismay!

There is a saying, birds of a feather flock together, and that may indeed be the case of the Calgary Herald.

I challenge the Calgary Herald to post the following article in their newspaper and on their website if it has a legitimate interest in telling the truth.

WCBCANADA STAFF WRITER

Canwest receives notice of delisting from TSX effective November 13, 2009

(WINNIPEG – October 15, 2009) Canwest Global Communications Corp (“Canwest”) announced today that it has received a letter from The Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") indicating that the Listings Committee of the TSX has determined to delist Canwest’s subordinate voting shares (TSX: CGS) and non-voting shares (TSX: CGS.A) effective at the close of market on November 13, 2009.

The delisting was imposed for failure by Canwest to meet the continued listing requirements of the TSX, as detailed in Part VII of The TSX Company Manual. Trading in Canwest’s subordinate voting shares and non-voting shares will remain suspended. Any appeal of this delisting decision must be initiated by October 21, 2009.

Below is the article by the Calgary Herald, also known as Canwest.

Critics of the Workers' Compensation Board will point to the recent hostage taking at its Edmonton office as an indication that something is broken at the WCB. The outrage from injured workers who feel they have been dealt with unfairly by the WCB is legendary among media outlets in this province, where few topics generate more letters, commentary and pleas for help than allegations of mistreatment by the WCB. Politicians, too, regularly feel the heat from disgruntled workers with beefs against the board.

In this city, grudges against the WCB have resulted in three similar situations. Sixteen years ago, a man with a gun stormed into the Calgary WCB and took hostages, upset with his grievances against the board. As with the incident in Edmonton, nobody was injured. In 1991, a man named Gregory Jack killed himself outside the Calgary office, distraught after his compensation payments were stopped. And, in September of 1992, a disgruntled client took a sledgehammer to the WCB's Calgary building.

Given these cases, one could easily surmise that there are many problems with WCB. Yet, third-party surveys conducted quarterly by the board show that injured workers have an overall satisfaction rate of about 80 per cent with the WCB and the fairness of its decisions. For those with claims lasting less than two weeks, the satisfaction level rises to 85 per cent. Over the past three years, satisfaction with the WCB has been steadily rising, for good reason. People with workers' compensation claims go to the head of the health-care queue. Claims in Alberta are also paid out faster than all other provinces except Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. For an organization that handled 168,896 new claims in 2008, these are impressive results.

That's not to say that all is well with the employer-funded compensation program. Satisfaction rates among those with claims lasting 15 days or more is only 63 per cent. And, its quarterly surveys are relatively small, with an error rate of 4.9 per cent.

Following the suicide of Jack, the provincial ombudsman issued a critical report saying the WCB had to improve its people skills. We wonder if that has truly happened. The organization says that clients now have four different avenues of appeal when claims are denied, which has resulted in less frustration by the public. But more avenues of appeal doesn't mean the place is exactly warm and fuzzy.

There's no denying, though, that the WCB is a lightning rod for complaints. It will always have financially and emotionally-stressed injured workers who are unhappy. Yet the statistics indicate it is far from the insensitive bureaucracy its most frustrated critics allege.