We are and will remain online to fight what clearly is a battle between corporate greed and injured workers. We have for years witnessed big business eroded the rights of injured workers, and at the same time we witnessed those in power riding the fallacy that injured workers are being looked after. We have seen the slogans waved about how injured workers abuse they system and they are using American insurance company tales to prove their point.

We are living proof of just how unjust the system is and remains, likewise we have banded together to prove to the public, they have no Workers Compensation should they see the misfortune of a long term accident. Feel free to join us in our public fight for justice, and watch how injured workers across Canada will "Rock The Vote" for justice.

Please join with us in unity, to end this injustice for all Canadians.

Below we are compiling a list of "Credible Quotes" that prove our complaints are valid complaints.

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"The Board is a statutory body whose primary purpose is to protect employers by bringing uniformity, efficiency, expeditiousness and cost-savings measures to selected accidents which occur in the employer worker relationship. It accomplishes this purpose by restricting rights of workers to have their right to compensation and the extent of their compensation determined by the Board. It cannot be said that the Board is independent insofar as the worker is concerned. It is a Board set up to protect the employers. The Board is funded by the employers, and the Board has a duty and probably a primary duty to protect the employer. In relation to the worker, the Board has an overwhelming wealth of knowledge and experience. It has the financial ability to fund sophisticated investigations involving highly qualified experts and have the material presented to them, guided, orchestrated and propounded by its in-house counsel responsible to the Board and paid for by the Board. The application of any standards under the rules of natural justice would identify such circumstances as being unequal in negotiating ability and unfair. This is not a level playing field, it is not fair, and it offends the basic principles of natural justice."

Justice Maclean - Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta

Wilson v. Medicine Hat (City) [1999] A. J. No. 269 (February 3, 1999)

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" They didn't look severely handicapped to me, I tell you that for sure. They both had cigarettes dangling from their mouth and cowboy hats"

- Premier Ralph Klien on Wednesday, about two woman who heckled him regarding payments to the disabled.

Red Deer Advocate , Friday Oct. 29, 2004

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The Burton Report

"Maybe for some the "slings and arrows" of dealing with a psychotic system may seem worthwhile to those who believe they have struck the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow by collecting their money and not having to work. Unfortunately, it typically doesn't turn out this way for the injured worker. Society tags them as "losers" and their families can only watch their loved ones become truly disabled mentally as well as physically. An injured worker who is striving to prove how really disabled they are for financial gain is a sad sight. The investment of effort would be much more productive in the other direction."
 

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"While it is true that the WCB is essentially autonomous, we must remember that it is this Legislature which granted them that power in 1995, and we cannot simply wash our hands of the responsibility of having handed over a flawed system."

Denis Herard, Conservative MLA, 1999, Alberta

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Quotations from the Royal Commission on the Workers Compensation Board of British Columbia. 1998

(These are quotes from injured workers on public record as accepted by the Royal Commission)


16.1.4.Quotes

“The only function of the doctors (or former doctors)--none of them is licensed to practice
medicine--is to dispute the reports of reputable surgeons and specialists.” (INJ-245)

“WCB officials fail to put any credence to the claimant’s physician’s statements or
recommendation, or to specialists’ learned recommendations unless they are under the
employ of the WCB. Perhaps they should be using specialists in private practice rather
than having a payroll of physicians.” (INJ-402)

“If a person goes to the physician injured and they are treated and then sent to one or more
specialists, who come up with medical documentation that the person is injured that should
be sound evidence.” (MLA-001)

“I think it is safe to assume that if two independent doctors agree on an injury that this
should be sufficient.” (INJ-313)

“How can they justify DOCTORS who don't have a medical background overruling
specialists.” (INJ-198)

“The Medical Review Panel must not have the power to overrule the diagnosis and
recommendations made by a claimant's physician. In [my] case, the diagnoses of several
doctors were disregarded by the Medical Review Panel, who wrote that [my] disability was a
misconception in my head.” (INJ-550)

“Maybe adjudicators should adjudicate and let doctors do the doctoring.” (INJ-243)

“The adjudicator almost never calls for more medical investigation, but rather uses the
Board Medical advisor's opinion as reason to deny the claim. Taking the process one step
further, should the claimant provide medical opinion from a specialist in the appropriate
field, still the adjudicator will continue to rely on the Board Medial advisor's opinion and
follow the same course of action.” (INJ-469)

“How come a body part that worked fine before the accident, all of a sudden had a
hereditary defect after the accident.” (INJ-355)

16.2.4.Quotes

“Doctors involved in claims should be in a "doctor/patient" relationship with the injured
workers, with the WCB as a third party. The fact that WCB employs doctors to deny claims,
and disregards the opinion of ethical doctors, indicates corruption within the WCB.” (INJ-
014)

“It is only my doctor who sees me every now and then and who can give me a full
unmitigated assessment of my case.” (INJ-156)

“The worker's physician should be accorded an important role in claim adjudication, and in
medical surveillance.” (UNI-068)

“Probably, it is more disappointing for me as a practitioner when I deal with third party peers
such as the WCB to be told that my work is not really good enough. And that becomes very
frustrating.” (MEP-016)

“WCB doctors conducting assessments for their employers seems to me like an obvious
conflict of interest.” (INJ-088)

“More emphasis and consideration should be placed on the opinions of family physicians
who have had a long-standing relationship with their patients.” (INJ-675)

“The committee also feels that the BC Medical Profession must assume a role in getting
employees back to work as soon as possible.” (EMA-046)

"Do away with all WCB doctors.” (INJ-474)

“Replace the old boys network of medical advisors with outside physicians.” (INJ-617)

“We have learned that many fine doctors, massage therapists, chiropractors are unwilling to
take WCB patients. They say that dealing with the WCB is simply too hard.” (CON-112)

“Colleagues and others in [my] profession didn't want to come to this hearing because they
might be identified and they could lose their work.” (MEP-011)

16.3.4.Quotes

“When you are not held accountable you can do whatever you want; you can destroy
people's lives and nobody's held accountable. Why in the world are the WCB doctors not
held accountable for their actions.” (INJ-228)

“Since when does a physician, a specialist none the less, make a diagnosis without seeing
the patient.” (UNI-012)

“How can WCB doctors without seeing [me] write medical reports.” (INJ-259)

“The WCB should not employ doctors that are mere puppets of the WCB.” (INJ-554)

“One thing that stands out in my mind after seven years is that when you are a victim of
WCB the specialists cease to talk to you and begin to talk about you. They attempt to avoid
anything causing them litigation or further paper wars.” (GEN-045)

“[He] has been deliberately lied to by some doctors trying to cover up their mistakes. Under
the WCB legislation they know they cannot be sued by workers for malpractice.” (INJ-040)

“WCB doctors regurgitate the same dogma that puts the WCB's interest ahead of the injured
workers.” (INJ-564)

“[It is] important to have doctors at WCB accountable for the things that they say and do to
women.” (IJA-004)

“The College of Physicians and Surgeons must be able to interfere and overrule a WCB
doctor's decision. Doctors must not be protected under the WCB Act. The doctors must be
held accountable for the medical decisions they are making.” (INJ-481)

“The Board should be held accountable to a moral and ethics committee, with cases
reviewed on a regular and random basis.” (INJ-483)

“Also [doctors] should by law be directed to follow their Hippocratic Oath and be subject to
the standard Code of ethics of the College of Medicine rather than practice the unbridled,
unprincipled bigotry of their WCB masters.” (INJ-008)

16.4.4.Quotes

“WCB should not be set up as a nice place for unlicensed doctors to spend their latter
years.” (INJ-245)

“Medical assessments should be made by qualified physicians in qualified positions.” (IJA-
005)

“The WCB doctors were negligent in their own code of ethics by using discriminatory
remarks against me and further by actually altering the original diagnosis without any proof.”
(INJ-012)

“According to a reputable doctor, most family physicians or WCB doctors could not name
the ligaments in the lower back or sacroiliac, let alone make an accurate diagnosis. Without
a proper diagnosis, the right treatment is impossible.” (INJ-367)

“To untrained personnel at WCB unless you are missing a limb or it is not observable they
do not believe that you should be on WCB.” (INJ-532)

“Don't know what the protocol is on training medical doctors on conditions like thoracic
outlet or new information regarding different conditions but it is important that they have a
current knowledge and background of diseases and injuries in different work places.” (INJ-
801)

“Why does it seem the WCB doctors went to a different school than regular doctors.” (INJ-
561)

“Some of the doctors that work for WCB are not registered with the College of Physicians &
Surgeons; others are zoologists. This proves to me that WCB does not care who they hire,
as long as the person can lie and twist things around to their advantage at the injured
worker's expense.” (INJ-247)

16.5.4.Quotes

“Claimants should have a choice of health care providers, not simply ones designated by
the WCB.” (INJ-373)

“As far as making a recommendation to improve the compensation I think they should let
the local or family doctor or the physician treating me at the time have a little more say – go
to a strange WCB doctor and you just get the feeling they want to get you out and give you
a pat on the hind end and send you home.” (INJ-745)

“We've been told [the WCB] want to know what family doctors say. We've also been told we
are not to get outside doctors to look at him. They didn't outright say, "We'll cut you off if you
do that," but it was inferred.” (INJ-149)

“If a person can receive therapy or treatment at a local facility that is where they should go.
By receiving treatment close to home the worker would be happier, and WCB would save
money.” (INJ-313)

16.5.4.Quotes

“[The] Ontario WCB does not distinguish among medical doctors, physiotherapists and
chiropractors with regard to the fee.” (PAS-022)

“Treatments such as acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, physical therapy, and specialized
diets can sometimes be used to prevent the need for surgery.” (INJ-542)

“Acupuncture is covered by WCB in the province of Alberta and ICBC in BC. There is a
growing demand for alternative medicine services in the province of BC. A survey was done
in 1995, which showed that fully 72% of those surveyed in BC were interested in
complementary and alternative medicine.” (PAS-012)

“Christian Scientists, aboriginal peoples, and other groups who prefer alternative methods
of healing are permitted to receive compensation for injuries treated in alternative ways
[elsewhere].” (NGO-001)

“Alternative medicines should be considered, for instance chiropracty.” (MEP-009)

“Although the WCB knows the benefits of chiropractic care, the WCB refuses to act
reasonably to include chiropractic care in the compensation system in a meaningful way.”
(PAS-017)

16.7.4.Quotes

“Start trusting our own medical profession and we could save millions a year.” (INJ-245)

“Basically we don't want to see any additional benefits that encourage employees to stay at
home or off the job nor do we need additional paperwork that is costing us money.” (EMA-
017)

“Establish cost-effectiveness reports in order to keep healthcare costs proportional to
number of claims.” (PAS-019)

16.8.4.Quotes

“If the public medical system means lengthy delays, private clinics should be used.” (IEM-
137)

“There are people who are disabled through non-work related issues and these people
believe that WCB clients have far and away best services available to them. The argument
is that it would create a two-tier system and WCB clients would benefit. If employers are
paying for medical system then it is reasonable for employer and employee to expect
prompt, effective and timely system that would get the employee back to work.” (MGS-005)

“If workers compensation is to meet the needs of the people of British Columbia for a high
quality public system that is equitable, effective and efficient in the context of changing
workplaces, then re-examination of those principles is necessary.” (EMA-058)

“Medical care of injured workers is the responsibility of the WCB and not the public health
care system.” (MGS-021)

“[Retaining a] public system is really important because every time we look at the privatized
system, they aren't meeting the needs of injured workers.” (UNI-021)

5.1.4 Quotes
· “Pension awards should be more generous.” (GEN-008)
· “Disabled workers must be afforded a pension that will allow them to live in dignity.” (INJ-
279).
· “I feel angry, betrayed and frustrated. I feel that I am being suspected of trying to abuse the
system and that it is assumed that I am guilty until I can prove myself innocent. I feel that the
system is set up to be adversarial rather than being proactive. I feel that I am being
penalized because I have chosen to be honest.” (INJ-343)
· “If a person returns to full-time employment after being pensioned off the pension should be
returned in part, depending on the case.” (IEM-155).
· “Loss of earnings pensions were originally intended only for exceptional circumstances and
should now be scrutinized for overuse.” (IEM-156).
· “We don't see a problem with compensating people for injuries like a loss of hand but not for
smaller injuries that don't affect their ability to do their pre-injury employment .” (IEM-137).
· “Regarding the pensions “debacle”, “We have injured workers and their families living in
destitution whilst WCB staff are getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in perks, golden
handshakes and buy-outs.” (INJ-008).
· “It is embarrassing to go on welfare because the WCB doesn’t look after you when you are
incapable of working. I can’t live on $166/mo.” (INJ-514).
· “When a disabled worker is granted a pension of only $600.00 per year, he has two
choices--steal or go on welfare.” (INJ-279)

5.3.4. Quotes
· “Disability awards should not be awarded if it is found that sub-maximal effort is being
made.” (IEM-137)
· “We don’t see a problem with compensating people for injuries like a loss of hand but not for
smaller injuries that don’t affect their ability to do their pre-injury employment.” (IEM-137).
· “WCB uses the word subjective to turn down medical and supportive evidence.” (INJ-103)
5.4.4 Quotes
· “The practice of deeming be thrown out as a policy of the WCB.” (UNI-078)
· “Pension reviews should be mandatory and should provide for offsets and integration
between forecast and actual earnings to provide a potential corresponding reduction or
increase in pension based on objective figures.” (EMA-036).
· “If a pension is reduced by the amount of income expected after retraining, the WCB should
be required to determine that the claimant is actually doing the job and is receiving the
wage, instead of automatically reducing the pension as soon as the retraining is finished.”
(INJ-239)
· “Discontinue the “deeming” of employment and instead make deductions from pension
entitlement based on workers’ actual earnings.” (UNA-010)
 

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