Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Where has the Canada Pension Money gone?

There has been a lot of talk in the past couple of decades that our Canadian Pension is dwindling , to the point of nothing being available when my generation gets to retirement age (which is not that far away).

In the past few years I have been fighting for my rights which have been taken away by a provincially Legislated Non-Profit Organization, this Organization is responsible for the coverage of those who are injured or become ill from their work place. As many of the permanently disabled/ ill have come to realize the hard way is that the WCB's across Canada will do anything to protect their profits, which they use for international meetings, rewards to safety groups that basically do nothing, wages and most importantly their pensions. So we can see from their side as to why they want the employers of Canada, which includes our Provincial/ Federal Governments, our RCMP, our Military and those who stand guard of the Criminals that are kept in our prisons.
A recent court document that I had the opportunity to view, dealt with a Disabled by Occupation employee that fit into the latter of these categories, one sentence really caught my eye from the court transcript: " Your Honour,  the court of this province (Alberta) has no jurisdiction regarding the WCB " the Judge agreed and the lawsuit against WCB was dismissed.
(Alta WCB Act sec2.1: States " the Board has the same Rights, Powers & Privileges of a Natural Person")

The WCB of Alberta has made it clear that they do not have to follow the laws that are written up for all Canadians, nor do they have too fulfill their Legislated responsibilities to those who they were created for back in 1913,  as the tens possibly hundreds of thousands of Disabled by Occupation will verify and that have been lead to a life of poverty.

There is now a new way of preventing poverty of which the WCB of Alberta hopes all disabled by occupation will follow, they have their spokesmen going around talking to other Disabled by occupation into forgetting about their WCB benefits and to collect the pensions they are entitled too from Canada Pension.

Many have been informed of this "New" prevention of Poverty, only to find out that once they are accepted for pension , whether it is CPP or ASIH, they lose their benefits of WCB, including any monies that may still be owed to the claimant. Upon collecting CPP, depending on your age and contributions, will determine your pension and upon reaching retirement age your pension will then be recalculated for the amount you previously received and "deducted accordingly".
Mean while the Canada Pension decreases, the employers pay their premiums to WCB, who does nothing for the disabled Worker, the disabled worker's life is borderline poverty "until retirement age" and those who go around helping the WCB promote this "New Poverty Prevention" have no idea of what they are promoting, what should be promoted is the fact that the WCB of Alberta and across Canada for that matter should be stripped of their Judicial Immunity, laws that are in place for insurance carriers to be enforced to fullest extent of the law, and to prevent non-profits organizations such as the the WCB from having over a Billion in profits that is handed over to others, when it is meant to keep those Disabled by Occupation out of poverty and to assist them in gaining control of lives, instead of being treated like the poorest people of 3rd world countries.

After All the Majority of Disabled Workers became so from building this Province/Country , not by sitting behind a desk dictating what is best for others, destroying lives of Canadians, basically stealing from our pockets, when their only goal is to Profit themselves and have others succumb to their demands, sounds a lot like Organized Criminals to me .

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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Canadian "White Collar Criminals w/ Judicial Powers & Immunity"


“Only in Canada you say ? Pity “ that is what the world wide corporations are saying as they look at the way Canada allows “White Collar Crime” to run rampant and endorsed by the Government. The Government bails out corporations with Millions of dollars and allows them to pocket the finances for the C.E.O’s and top administrative positions of the corporations while those who are owed their pensions and benefits go unpaid. If you are not part of the corrupt system then you are more likely the ones that are being abused and sent into poverty, whether immediately or slowly over time.

Where a corporation is able to have Judicial Powers and Immunity, can doctor the books to their satisfaction and anyone that questions it will be made into a criminal or worse: have their families destroyed by the “tag teaming” of Government agencies to ensure that any person that rebuttals their decisions will not have the credibility to proceed with their fight for Rights, Freedom and Justice.

Our Government selects people to sit on tribunal’s to make judgment of these situations and depending on the person that is sitting at the time depends on a fair hearing or not, for instance a tribunal had ruled in favor of a person, regarding a selected employment position where the person was incapable of fulfilling the position, a few years later the tribunal with different people sitting as Judges, with evidence that was used prior and new evidence that was not allowed to be used by plaintiff, over turned the previous; the main overturn was pertaining to financial auditing where it had been found that the corporation had under paid the person involved by a considerable amount of Money and yet they had turned that information around and wrote up the “new pension” as the beneficiary had to pay them back for the money they actually owed , creating a situation where they had done all they could to keep this person from exposing the truth. This has happened more then once to the same person and has happened to many others in Canada, as this practice is tolerated and seemingly endorsed by our Governments and Judiciary professionals.

They use the Finances to make you do their bidding, force you into torture with their “ No pain , No Gain” policy for the sick and injured; make you follow  a program that is so painful and over bearing that if you refuse or do not complete the tasks they set out for you then again you are financially abused, most times they remove more then you are entitled to receive, as a person that was receiving $500 a week and missed a day due to a family medical emergency and was deducted $250 for that day. Another favorite tactic is to place a person into a "Deemed" employment, they state the amount a person is to make, at the highest amount they can find and deduct that amount from the benefits of a disabled worker; they then set the amounts of raises that a person would get, can you imagine a retail sales clerk making $32,000.00 per year with a $7,2000.00 raise after the first year of employment?
 You can appeal their decisions, but after a time they will refuse any future appeals on a claim by the wording of the Appeals Commissions Decision , or which has been the case prior, where the appeal letter has sat on the Claims mangers desk for months/ appeals adviser is no longer working there and the claimant does not find out until after the one year time period for appeal has expired, extortion at its finest.
They do as they wish without fear of reprisal, from our Governments or law enforcement, why? Ask our Governments and Law enforcement..  

As time has gone by, Canada’s famous police force refused to investigate, instead they told the beneficiary to hire their own lawyers and forensic auditors as they did not want to get involved, the City police that have the jurisdiction of the where the crimes were committed also would not get involved as they seem to pick and choose who they will investigate, or Ministers of Justice and Solicitor Generals refuse to request an investigation into these criminal acts and violations of many kinds, with the “War on Terrorism” that has gone world wide, makes one wonder who the real terrorists are, after all the main part of all wars is the “propaganda” to convince the people of that particular nation that they are the ones in the right and that the enemy is always the one that goes against our beliefs and principles no matter how untrue those words really are; Remember that disabled workers are terrorist minded as they have no recourse legal action due to the abuses and injustices that are permitted by Governments that believe anyone who stands up against their corrupt ways is considered a “TERRORIST”, in other words the Canadian Government along with its Provincial counterparts.

 Dealing with this situation many of us face, is the problem of Provincial Government agencies will suck the "soul" right out of you, "while your still kicking", and the Federal Government will not get involved even though they made it law for every worker to be covered by WCB/WSIB; Its like they thrive on torturous situations that are just as much a mind game in dealing with them; as it is physical in the forms of rehabilitation / over pushing the injury, causing more damage , is this how they torture/ treat the Taliban?


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Friday, February 12, 2010

Dealing with the Workers Compensation Boards all across Canada and Internationally

Dealing with the Workers Compensation Boards all across Canada, is a very strenuous psychological challenge, there many crimes committed in the name of profit, considering that they are a non-profit organization. We call them crimes as the actions of this World Wide Organization, violate the United Nation’s Declaration of Human Rights, in Canada our Charter of Rights is very much violated as well; not to mention the criminal actions of Fraud, Extortion, Embezzlement, Money laundering, Threats against Persons & Property, Blackmail, Medical Malpractice, Social Discrimination and countless accusations of untruths against the injured/disabled worker; yet this organization is given Judicial Immunity/ Protection across Canada.


It is bad enough with the lies, manipulation and being spied on by this Corporation, that they also send their paid workers too infiltrate groups of person’s that have been disabled while on the job and causing disruptions to the point of total paranoia amongst these emotionally fragile people, that they no longer trust each other and begin to question their own thoughts and actions, due to the frustrations of their attempts for gaining a little self esteem and self worth.

Our employers, of whom we had worked for as a team and in some cases our jobs were like family, where everyone stood beside/ behind each other through thick or thin, only to find out later, that we are nothing more then a disposable slave to do their bidding.
From the employers attempts to have us not file a claim on the accident or their attempts of preventing proper medical treatment and in some cases, denying that you the employee even had an accident at work or that the employee is faking the injury, just to save them from paying out to the Workers Compensation Boards.

So people in our situation find it very hard to trust anyone, even members of our own families; friends are lost due to arguments as they have not walked in our shoes, which makes them unable to realize how much control this corporation has on our lives, while these same people have no-one to control them as our Governments have allowed for free reign with Judicial protection that prevents them from being held accountable for all that they do.

With Billions of dollars in the accounts of these non-profit corporations across Canada and the Millions of dollar’s being handed over to different committees and organizations from a fund that was originally set in place for the injured and disabled, by the employers of Canada, which includes our respective Governments, federally and provincially; while those for which this was originally created for, live in poverty, medically untreated, abused financially, physically and psychologically.
Some have been driven to suicide, some to criminal acts, others left to rot in the confines of their minds, while contemplating their next move towards the life they once had and knowing that they are in need of assistance, of which they will never get, in order of gaining it all back
This alone is no less the Money laundering, taking from the employers that is meant for the employees and using it as if it their right too control and distribute as they seem fit, from their own wages to their pensions, with incomes of hundreds of thousands, the people in charge make their living from robbing the vulnerable and being praised for their actions amongst their peers.

What has been found to be more of a concern for Canadian Disabled workers; is the influences and guidance by:

Association of Workers Compensation Boards of Canada (A.W.C.B.C) to the independent Provincial Compensation Boards, also known as Work Safe Insurance Boards in selected Provinces; is the influences of International Associations that promote their tactics of financial, medical and individual claim handling techniques.

The American Association of State Insurance Funds  is an association of workers' compensation insurance companies from 27 different states, plus 10 workers' compensation boards in Canada.

International Association of Workers Compensation Boards:
 “an association of government agencies that administer and regulate their jurisdiction’s workers' compensation acts”, who takes pride in their Jurisdictional members who they state are governmental agencies, commissions, boards, councils and courts.

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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

ARM's LENGTH of GOVERNMENT" UPDATED VERSION

This posting is mostly about Alberta; however if you read on you will see the connections for all of Canada, and Internationally. I found some situations here to be very bothersome in the area of A.W.C.B.C working directly with our Military, it is bad enough that the A.W.C.B.C lobbies our Federal Government on behalf of their provincial WCB/ WSIB members, to remove our rights, while the Provincial WSIB/WCB offices lobby the Provincial Governments for other Legislation that benefits the organization.
Meanwhile the Federal Government refuses to investigate the Violations of Rights across our Country, of which they assisted in.


I added a new posting to my blog prior that was initially there to show the bullheadedness of the WCB, on how they deem the employment that they use to lower our benefits, however after a comment by a sister injured worker, I came to realize that "Hey these letters are not individual to each province", they are written in the same context pretty much word for word; now does that sound like independent WCB's for each province ?

There is more to this organization then our Government is allowing us to know. I am beginning to feel that my thoughts of an International Organization at least a National organization is in charge of the whole country with each province as it's own area.




This does not only effect the private sector,even the military has the same type of abuse, the same problem as they too are under the care of a  Income Security Insurance Plan. Too much coincidence ?





why are the Provincial compensation Acts so different from the Federal Government Employee's, beside the department of Justice in charge instead of the department of Labour?




Seems like this organization had found a way to take control in an area that our Governments did not want to walk through and allows them all the power (least in Canada) to override our basic rights and freedoms, pushing their power farther.



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Saturday, December 19, 2009

Will Federal Investigation expose Human Rights Violations in Alberta

December 10th 2009 U.N human Rights protests across Canada were hampered by cold weather,as many permanently injured workers are affected by cold/ damp weather and were unable to make it out, but that did not stop those that were able to get to their MLA/MPP's offices or to the Provincial or Federal Human Rights Offices. In Edmonton Alberta, one person had approached the Provincial Human Rights office, was not carrying any signs or making any comments what so ever, he went up into the office looking for other friends that he was to meet there. When he approached the main door he was confronted by a security guard, who then escorted the man off the property before the protest even started.

Canada Place the building downtown Edmonton which houses the Federal Human Rights Commission, was a similar story with a twist. Two disabled men had been carrying signs regarding Human Rights violations, when they approached the face of the Canada Place, a lady came running out, no coat or anything to protect her from the -20c weather, asked for a brochure that the men were handing out, as they watched her run back into the building they noticed a group of people taking pictures of them from inside, so in true protest fashion they in turn took their own pictures of those watching them.These two men never went into Canada Place but yet they were told to leave, as they were on private property, 1 it is a federal building, 2 the sidewalk is public property. The two men were threatened by Canada Place Security Commissionaires that if they do not remove themselves from the property the Edmonton Police Service were on hand to escort these men away or possibly arrested. Some passers bye had over heard this and came to assistance the disabled gentlemen, those people were telling the Commissionaires that it was indeed public property and they had no right to remove those men for a peaceful protest. It has now come to our attention that those commissionaires were informed by the Private managing company what to say and how to execute the procedure of removing these men from outside the building, there is probably more to this story on that part that hopefully will come out of the Federal Investigation that has been started due to this situation.

The questions I have is why both Human Rights Commissions had stopped the protesters when it is not illegal? Who handed out the original orders? Were the Human Rights Offices working together on this? With all the Human Rights Violations that are presently being practiced across Canada and especially in Alberta, one would think let them rattle on and go nowhere, but with them attempting to stop the protesters they in all reality have brought out even more attention. I certainly look forward to the Federal Investigation into these situations, pertaining to the actions of the managing company and the Commissionaires. Hopefully this Investigation will be expanded into the Human Rights Violations that occur here,let true honest Justice be served, as we all know there is no true Justice in this Province when it comes to Government Crimes.

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Thursday, November 12, 2009

December 10th is United Nations Human Rights Day


B.K. (Brad) White

Dominion Secretary

Dominion Command

The Royal Canadian Legion

It has been brought to my attention Commander, mutual misunderstanding, mostly on the part of written as opposed to verbal communication;
yet our Hearts are in the same location.

Members stated they understood our cause, but to bring the blame to those that cause it, not bring it to those that should be Resting in Peace Eternally.



I look forward to those members that gave me this piece of advice, along with any other proud Member into joining us on DEC 10th at the nearest Human Rights Office or the office of your MLA/ MPP ; Federal and/or Provincial H.R Offices which ever may be your nearest.

In memory of those who have fallen in defense of our Rights, only to have those Rights of Canadian Citizens and our Families:Removed and/or denied by our Provincial and Federal Government's and their Agencies across Canada.

Here is a list of those rights that are witnessed too have been removed and/or denied:

Article 1.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.

Article 16.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17.
(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
Article 21.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.

Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 28.
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29.
· 1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.

· (2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.

· (3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.



We Canadians and the Families of Canada have a need to take back our rights and our dignity. Friends,Family and Supporters; you are asked to please, protest at your nearest Human Rights or at your MLA's office at 10am on December 10th, 2009.
Let those, who fought and died for our freedoms and rights NOT be in VAIN. Let their silent voices speak with us.

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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Workers Compensation Of Alberta : On the Job Training ( new update)

I will say this is a start,but it is to late; but a good gesture as far as I am concerned, I have tried to gain employment in areas of employment that I felt I could do and it was mainly the way WCB Alberta handled the situation with the employers. The employers were scared to hired as it would drive up their premiums if an injured worker was re-injured and all the brunt of the injury would be on that NEW employer. I have brought this up to Alberta WCB a few years ago in the Appeals Process.
http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/summary/2475/
It is also on WCB website with more information, they claim it has been on site since September 22, 2008.
First I heard of it, not one WCB employee mentioned this to me in all the correspondence or conversations of the claims services staff, I also subscribe to the Workers Compensation Board of Alberta's mailing list for updates on programs and policies.

http://www.wcb.ab.ca/pdfs/workers/WFS_Training_on_the_job.pdf

Worker Fact Sheet
Website: www.wcb.ab.ca E-mail: contactcentre@wcb.ab.ca Box 2415, 9912-107 Street Toll-free: 1-866-922-9221 (within AB) 1-800-661-9608 (outside AB) Edmonton, AB T5J 2S5
Edmonton Ph: 780-498-3999 Fax: 780-498-7999
Calgary: Ph: 403-517-6000 Fax: 403-517-6201
Training on the Job (TOJ)
When it is identified that you are medically unable (because of the accepted work place accident) to return to your date of accident occupation, your case manager will consider suitable
re-employment assistance to meet your needs. Your case manager will initially determine, by
talking to your accident employer, if any modified job opportunities exist with them. If your
accident employer is unable to find you suitable employment, other re-employment assistance is
considered. The training-on-the-job program is one of the options available through the re-employment assistance program.
How it works
A TOJ program is an individualized program set up to help you return to work with either your date of accident employer or a new employer, learning new skills. This program is also an
incentive for employers to hire people who do not have the experience necessary to get into that
line of work. WCB - Alberta subsidizes (tops up) your wages while you learn these new skills in a different job*. This working arrangement is a win-win situation for you and your new employer. Your employer gets an opportunity to see if you are appropriate for the job, while you get an opportunity to be trained in a different job and return to the workforce safely.
Your case manager will review and determine your entitlement to a TOJ program based on your individual need.
* Depending on the details of your new position, WCB can reimburse your new employer at a decreasing percentage of the wages (e.g. 1st month – 100%, 2nd month – 75%, etc.).
**WCB does not pay overtime, holiday pay or the employer’s portion of the worker’s Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan contributions or WCB premiums.
Finding an employer
When you have identified a potential employer, WCB can approach the potential employer to determine if they are interested in sponsoring you in a TOJ program. Talk to your case manager.
Determining the length of the program
You, your case manager and your new employer will determine the length of your TOJ program
(usually three to six months) by assessing the skill requirements of the new job, your transferable skills and the time required for you to learn new skills to become a fully productive
employee.

They sure make it sound good but you notice that they have already set the time limits and the amount of income for the injured worker, Guess my first comment was damn close to the truth, just more corruption to get rid of the injured worker so they can keep on collecting Millions to set themselves in a nice comfy retirement.
http://www.eluta.ca/top-employer-workers-compensation-board-of-alberta
If this were a court of law I know my lawyer would say this is not a good agreement to many loop holes to trap the injured worker and release the WCB of responsibility.

I have been investigating the connection between Alberta WCB and the Federal Government as I have been told so many times that Federal and Provincial Governments have no say in the day to day workings of the WCB, in fact I have been told by MP's that I have requested involvement from (as provincial Government has done nothing to investigate the WCB) that any business with WCB is to taken up with my Provincial Government.
The only connection to the Alberta WCB and Provincial Government on employers and labour incentives is to join a injury reduction programhttp://employment.alberta.ca/SFW/340.html. Now why would the Alberta WCB and federal Government join forces and not the Provincial Government?
Is this a way stating that offers were in place for the injured worker to gain employment ?

To find their own retraining programs due to WCB is incompetent at retraining?
or is it a way of proving that they had options in place to prevent Mr.Clayton from stating that the WCB had no options available for him and therefore cut him off benefits and to find his own medications without any health care assistance? regardless there has not been anywhere else then the Federal site and the WCB home site that stated this option for the injured worker's of Alberta.

I have a few major reservation's towards this situation:

1) what about after training; the I/W's restrictions would still be there, it would take very little to cause a flare-up in injury , depending on the injury it self.

2) If this is offered in Alberta , why not the rest of Canada ? seems like a new cover story by these actions of the situation of the Hostage taking.

3)Why doesn't the Federal Government, Provincial Government and WCB all work together and continue the subsidies for the employee's life span until retirement and a top off of a percentage to compensate our pensions.

4) What prevents the WCB from making "DEAL's" with the "on-the-job-training-employer" to have the workers employment terminated as soon as training is done, that does not secure any employment in the future, as the WCB could in turn increase the premiums/ stop wage subsidy or anything they want to the employer as he is no longer training.

5) Why is it only open to Employers for training ; what if I want my own business ( like I have tried before) and have always needed WCB's permission ( even via Federal Government Business Grant application), that way I can guarantee "my own" success or failure instead of falling back into the same rut

6) Sorry WCB Alberta but you have proven to many times that you cannot be trusted with the authority over the injured worker, especially now when you are not part of the Provincial Government as you have so contently stated to injured workers over the years, only to crawl into bed with the Federal Government; of whom has been washing their hands of you since the Merideth Report was written up.

This Stinks Big Time of Political Corruption;WCB is still in control of the situation; with that said I am cut off now due to non-compliance?

There is still no protection from the abuse and manipulation of the Workers Compensation Board Alberta.

Reply from WCB Supervisor

Hi Ken,

I reviewed the information you have inquired on regarding a training on the job (TOJ). This has been a re-employment assistance option for many years. This is not in conjunction with any government agency. This is not a new option and if you look at our site you will find information regarding training on the job. I have attached the link below with the fact sheet which I encourage you to review:

http://www.wcb.ab.ca/pdfs/workers/WFS_Training_on_the_job.pdf

I cannot comment on what the Government of Canada has chosen to place on their website, as we are not a government agency. I encourage you to contact them directly if you have questions regarding information that they have indicated in their website. Please also note that the reason that Alberta WCB may be indicated but others may not, is likely due to the fact that not all WCB's may have this as a vocational option. Each WCB in Canada is governed by separate legislation and have their own policies.

If you are inquiring on your eligibility for a training on the job you would need to contact us in writing with your request and a Case Manager would reply to your request. Thank you.

Nici Denney
Supervisor
Large Employers
Customer Service and Disability Management
WCB Alberta
Phone (780) 498-4358
Fax (780) 498-4078

A case manager will contact me? So once again I am without a case manager, last time I ended up on criminal charges by WCB, for no case manager available.

You do not have one assigned at this time Ken, as your file is not under active management, but if you would like to send something in writing regarding a request for a training on the job, you are welcome to do so and a Case Manager will be assigned to your claim and contact you in that regard.

Nici Denney

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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Dear Prime Minister Harper and any other Politician that claims to stand for Canadians

After all the searching that has been done by myself and other injured workers, we are curious as to why with the Free Trade Agreement that there is an agreement pertaining to labour, namely the North American Agreement on Labour Cooperation.

PREAMBLE
- protect, enhance and enforce basic workers' rights

Article 5: Procedural Guarantees

"1. Each Party shall ensure that its administrative, quasiiudicial, judicial and labor tribunal proceedings for the enforcement of its labor law are fair, equitable and transparent and, to this end, each Party shall provide that:

(a) such proceedings comply with due process of law;

(b) any hearings in such proceedings are open to the public, except where the administration of justice otherwise requires;

(c) the parties to such proceedings are entitled to support or defend their respective positions and to present information or evidence; and

(d) such proceedings are not unneccessarily complicated and do not entail unreasonable charges or time limits or unwarranted delays.

2. Each Party shall provide that final decisions on the merits of the case in such proceedings are:

(a) in writing and preferably state the reasons on which the decisions are based;

(b) made available without undue delay to the parties to the proceedings and, consistent with its law, to the public; and

(c) based on information or evidence in respect of which the parties were offered the opportunity to be heard.

3. Each Party shall provide, as appropriate, that parties to such proceedings have the right, in accordance with its law, to seek review and, where warranted, correction of final decisions issued in such proceedings.

4. Each Party shall ensure that tribunals that conduct or review such proceedings are impartial and independent and do not have any substantial interest in the outcome of the matter.

5. Each Party shall provide that the parties to administrative, quasijudicial, judicial or labor tribunal proceedings may seek remedies to ensure the enforcement of their labor rights. Such remedies may include, as appropriate, orders, compliance agreements, fines, penalties, imprisonment, injunctions or emergency workplace closures.

6. Each Party may, as appropriate, adopt or maintain labor defense offices to represent or advise workers or their organizations.

7. Nothing in this Article shall be construed to require a Party to establish, or to prevent a Party from establishing, a judicial system for the enforcement of its labor law distinct from its system for the enforcement of laws in general.

8. For greater certainty, decisions by each Party's administrative, quasijudicial, judicial or labor tribunals, or pending decisions, as well as related proceedings shall not be subject to revision or reopened under the provisions of this Agreement".

Pertaining to Article 5 the only enforcement is where the WCB’s and employers are concerned, they are given protection of their Quasi-judicial tribunals, however the injured worker has no protection from the abuse that takes place against their very daily living, from mental stress to poverty ,from denial of medical treatment to being forced into an employment that is in direct conflict with the injury, along with the information manipulation that so many injured workers are forced into dealing with. Degrees of injury re-written months or years later as to a lesser degree, financial information that is re-written so blatantly that any ordinary person can see the fraud and corruption within this organization also personal information written as to the benefit of the WCB’s where have literally charged innocent injured workers of criminal acts and then penalizing the injured more then the courts have already done. There are many types of fraud but this type also reflects the quality of Government across Canada, if this world wide organization is to be an arm’s length of Government (Federal law mandates WCB in each Province, therefore Federal Government should police the actions if the provincial Governments do nothing) with all the powers of Canada within its hands, including Court of Queens Bench status that commits these and crimes against Humanity (yes does qualify) it shows to us that injured workers are disposable which enables abuse towards them in the same manner as physical or mentally handi-capped with the exception they have protection; injured are abuse in the worst possible sense, animals get better treatment. You may ask why does this happen, the answer is simple, WCB’s across Canada have billions in their accounts and are controlled by the employers; Millions of dollars are funneled through the WCB to safety organizations and rebates to employers that have been found guilty of labour violations. To any person that has any intelligence this has the markings of money laundering, does this mean our Governments practice this type of criminal activity? If so then maybe it is time we as Canadians took back our country and jail all those that have been part of the Canada wide corruption as accessories to the fact.

"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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Thursday, May 28, 2009

History of Workers Compensation in Canada

The need for a fair and equitable system of workers' compensation evolved out of the industrial revolution. As economic and industrial activities flourished, the number of work injuries also grew. The increasing use of machinery, new concepts of producing goods, and the pressure of increased demand for products resulted in more injury problems without solutions for employers and employees. For the most part, workers who were injured on the job had no recourse other than to sue their employers at common law, an expensive and time-consuming process. The court system was crowded, causing long delays. Compensation for injuries was usually insufficient and uncertain. The employee sometimes was forced to bear the expense of injury himself or had to throw himself on the mercy of welfare.
http://02cd9d2.netsolhost.com/public/1.0_overview.htm
http://02cd9d2.netsolhost.com/public/1.1.1_history.htm

Between 1884 and 1886, Germany's Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck introduced a mandatory state-run accident compensation system. Workers and employers financed this initial system.

Canadian workers' compensation began in Ontario, and laws developed along timelines similar to those in Great Britain. In 1910, Mr. Justice William Meredith was appointed to a Royal Commission to study workers' compensation. His final report, known as the Meredith Report, was produced in 1913.
There are five Meredith Principles:
• No-fault compensation: Workplace injuries are compensated regardless of fault. The worker and employer waive the right to sue. There is no argument over responsibility or liability for an injury. Fault becomes irrelevant, and providing compensation becomes the focus.
• Collective liability: The total cost of the compensation system is shared by all employers. All employers contribute to a common fund. Financial liability becomes their collective responsibility.
• Security of payment: A fund is established to guarantee that compensation monies will be available. Injured workers are assured of prompt compensation and future benefits.
• Exclusive jurisdiction: All compensation claims are directed solely to the compensation board. The Board is the decision-maker and final authority for all claims. Nor is the Board bound by legal precedent; it has the power and authority to judge each case on its individual merits.
• Independent board: The governing board is both autonomous and non-political. The Board is financially independent of government or any special interest group. The administration of the system is focused on the needs of its employer and labour clients, providing service with efficiency and impartiality.
http://www.awcbc.org/en/index.asp http://www.awcbc.org/en/historyofworkerscompensation.asp

QUOTE MERIDTH REPORT wsbc:
In a note to section 22 it is stated that "it is submitted that it would not be wise to entirely shut out appeals and place in the hands of the Board the sole right to interpret the act .... and the right to define its own jurisdiction." What danger is to be apprehended from conferring these rights I do not understand, nor do I see what questions as to the construction of the act are likely to arise other than those enumerated in section 22.
In my judgment the furthest the Legislature should go in allowing the intervention of the courts should be to provide that the Lieutenant-Governor in Council may state a case for the opinion of a Divisional Court of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Ontario, if any question of law of general importance arises and he deems it expedient it should be settled by a decision of a Divisional Court. Although I say this my judgment is against the introduction of any such provision, as it is probable that if any form of appeal to an appellate court is allowed, a defeated litigant will have the right to take his case to the Judicial Committee of His Majesty's Privy Council.
The draft bill of the Association has but one schedule of industries to all of which the act applies, and it makes no provision for abrogating or modifying the rules of the common law as to employers who are not within the scope of the act. How my draft bill differs from this will be apparent from what I have said in dealing with the general plan upon which it has been drafted.
By my draft bill (sec. 60) the Board is given exclusive jurisdiction as to all matters and questions arising under Part I, and subject to its power to rescind, alter or amend any of its decisions or orders, its action or decision is final and is not subject to appeal.
It is difficult to understand from the Association's draft bill what the jurisdiction of the Board is intended to be. Section 21 provides that the Board shall have jurisdiction to enquire into, hear and determine all matters and questions of fact and law necessary to be determined in connection with compensation payments and the administration thereof and the collection and management of the funds thereof.
This language would confer on the Board a rather limited jurisdiction and probably, judging from the provisions of section 22, less than the draftsman intended it should have. The decisions and findings of the Board upon questions of fact are made final and conclusive, but on questions of law an appeal is allowed.
http://www.awcbc.org/common/assets/english%20pdf/meredith_report.pdf


" 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)
http://iwocac.ning.com/

This organization has come a long way from its roots, with Millions of Dollars going into rebates not going to just one, but to the many Safety Associations and big employers; even those employers that have deaths reported.
Injured workers and small business employers are being defrauded by WCB, medical professionals being financially reprimanded for not writing out the medical report for the way the WCB has requested; yet the blame goes onto the injured and in some cases the small business employers and medical professionals as the defrauders and liar’s. All this you can find in the above link.


My personal suggested changes needed: Removal of the Meredith Principals of Exclusive jurisdiction and Total Authority of a truly Non-Independent board.




• all medical needs covered by GOV, WCB’s removal of hiring private medical or rehabilitation staff for injured workers diagnoses or treatment But may be employed to ensure safe and appropriate rehabilitation.
• Emergency /closest physicians or workers personal physician: shall be deciders of degree or cause’s of injury and all treatment.
• Gov having direct responsibility for care the injured worker; federally as a whole; provincially as a residence, municipally as a casual basis for assist in injured workers needs.
• Board shall provide all necessary needs and insuring all needs to assist/allow the worker to progress to a new life with any assistance needed due to injury.
• Proceeds and payments by the employers to the employers fund for injured workers to be handled by the provincial auditor or separate authority, not by the WCB’s or their affiliates.
• WCB to only concentrate on retraining necessities, appropriate rehabilitation and any needs/ aids for the injured worker including personal mobility or daily aids, safe transportation for injured workers, meal and expenses for any injury related appointment or meeting.

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History of Workers Compensation in Canada

The need for a fair and equitable system of workers' compensation evolved out of the industrial revolution. As economic and industrial activities flourished, the number of work injuries also grew. The increasing use of machinery, new concepts of producing goods, and the pressure of increased demand for products resulted in more injury problems without solutions for employers and employees. For the most part, workers who were injured on the job had no recourse other than to sue their employers at common law, an expensive and time-consuming process. The court system was crowded, causing long delays. Compensation for injuries was usually insufficient and uncertain. The employee sometimes was forced to bear the expense of injury himself or had to throw himself on the mercy of welfare.
(seems like it has gone full circle; present has gone back to the beginning)
http://02cd9d2.netsolhost.com/public/1.0_overview.htm
http://02cd9d2.netsolhost.com/public/1.1.1_history.htm

Workers Compensation was first used by the Egyptians while building the pyramids, so far that is all I know by archeologists on documentaries.
(injured were well taken care of also)

Between 1884 and 1886, Germany's Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck introduced a mandatory state-run accident compensation system. Workers and employers financed this initial system.(same location where the International Symposiums are held)

Canadian workers' compensation began in Ontario, and laws developed along time lines similar to those in Great Britain. In 1910, Mr. Justice William Meredith was appointed to a Royal Commission to study workers' compensation. His final report, known as the Meredith Report, was produced in 1913.
There are five Meredith Principles:

• No-fault compensation: Workplace injuries are compensated regardless of fault. The worker and employer waive the right to sue. There is no argument over responsibility or liability for an injury. Fault becomes irrelevant, and providing compensation becomes the focus.

• Collective liability: The total cost of the compensation system is shared by all employers. All employers contribute to a common fund. Financial liability becomes their collective responsibility.

• Security of payment: A fund is established to guarantee that compensation monies will be available. Injured workers are assured of prompt compensation and future benefits.

• Exclusive jurisdiction: All compensation claims are directed solely to the compensation board. The Board is the decision-maker and final authority for all claims. Nor is the Board bound by legal precedent; it has the power and authority to judge each case on its individual merits.

• Independent board: The governing board is both autonomous and non-political. The Board is financially independent of government or any special interest group. The administration of the system is focused on the needs of its employer and labour clients, providing service with efficiency and impartiality.

QUOTE MERIDTH REPORT wsbc:
In a note to section 22 it is stated that "it is submitted that it would not be wise to entirely shut out appeals and place in the hands of the Board the sole right to interpret the act .... and the right to define its own jurisdiction." What danger is to be apprehended from conferring these rights I do not understand, nor do I see what questions as to the construction of the act are likely to arise other than those enumerated in section 22.
In my judgment the furthest the Legislature should go in allowing the intervention of the courts should be to provide that the Lieutenant-Governor in Council may state a case for the opinion of a Divisional Court of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Ontario, if any question of law of general importance arises and he deems it expedient it should be settled by a decision of a Divisional Court. Although I say this my judgment is against the introduction of any such provision, as it is probable that if any form of appeal to an appellate court is allowed, a defeated litigant will have the right to take his case to the Judicial Committee of His Majesty's Privy Council.
The draft bill of the Association has but one schedule of industries to all of which the act applies, and it makes no provision for abrogating or modifying the rules of the common law as to employers who are not within the scope of the act. How my draft bill differs from this will be apparent from what I have said in dealing with the general plan upon which it has been drafted.
By my draft bill (sec. 60) the Board is given exclusive jurisdiction as to all matters and questions arising under Part I, and subject to its power to rescind, alter or amend any of its decisions or orders, its action or decision is final and is not subject to appeal.
It is difficult to understand from the Association's draft bill what the jurisdiction of the Board is intended to be. Section 21 provides that the Board shall have jurisdiction to enquire into, hear and determine all matters and questions of fact and law necessary to be determined in connection with compensation payments and the administration thereof and the collection and management of the funds thereof.
This language would confer on the Board a rather limited jurisdiction and probably, judging from the provisions of section 22, less than the draftsman intended it should have. The decisions and findings of the Board upon questions of fact are made final and conclusive, but on questions of law an appeal is allowed.
http://www.awcbc.org/common/assets/english%20pdf/meredith_report.pdf


" 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)
http://iwocac.ning.com/

This organization has come a long way from its roots, with Millions of Dollars going into rebates not going to just one, but to the many Safety Associations and big employers; even those employers that have deaths reported.
Injured workers and small business employers are being defrauded by WCB, medical professionals being financially reprimanded for not writing out the medical report for the way the WCB has requested; yet the blame goes onto the injured and in some cases the small business employers and medical professionals as the defrauders and liar’s. All this you can find in the above link.

Where has it gone to now ? It is national, part of a North American and International organizations that advise and share information to work towards the success of the Workers Compensations Boards .
http://www.awcbc.org/en/index.asp
http://02cd9d2.netsolhost.com/public/1.0_overview.htm
http://www.awcbc.org/en/historyofworkerscompensation.asp

My personal suggested changes needed: Removal of the Meredith Principals of Exclusive jurisdiction and Total Authority of a truly Non-Independent board.

• all medical needs covered by Healthcare, WCB’s removal of hiring private medical or rehabilitation staff for injured workers diagnoses or treatment, claimants physician to do all diagnostics and treatment, But WCB may employed those to follow prescribed procedures for appropriate rehabilitation.

• Emergency /closest physicians or workers personal physician: shall be deciders of degree or cause’s of injury and all treatment.

• -Federal Government having direct responsibility for care the injured worker; federally as a whole;All injured workers across Canada, to insure equal treatment to all.
- Provincially as they are presently, enforcing all laws in place,

-Municipally as an employer to assist the injured in gaining the employment that is suitable to the worker and within their work restrictions ,.

• Board shall provide all necessary needs and insuring all needs to assist/allow the worker to progress to a new life with any assistance needed due to injury.

• Proceeds and payments by the employers to the employers fund for injured workers to be handled by the provincial Labour Board and Health board or a combination of the two, not by the WCB’s or their affiliates.

• WCB to only concentrate on retraining necessities, finding the appropriate rehabilitation and any needs/ aids for the injured worker including personal mobility or daily aids, safe transportation for injured workers, meal and expenses for any injury related appointment or meeting.

In other words WCB to only handle the paper work, no Authoritative Powers

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Friday, May 22, 2009

WCB's Across Canada have they committed CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY ?

The Workers Compensation Boards of Canada and possibly those on the international scale; along with the Politicians that have protected them, are in Violation of Crimes Against Humanity.

Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offences in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings. They are not isolated or sporadic events, but are part either of a government policy (although the perpetrators need not identify themselves with this policy) or of a wide practice of atrocities tolerated or condoned by a government or a de facto authority. Murder, extermination, torture, rape, political, racial, or religious persecution and other inhumane acts reach the threshold of crimes against humanity only if they are part of a widespread or systematic practice. Isolated inhumane acts of this nature may constitute grave infringements of human rights, or depending on the circumstances, war crimes, but may fall short of falling into the category of crimes under discussion."

For the purpose of this Statute, "crime against humanity" means any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack

(h) Persecution against any identifiable group or collectivity on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender as defined in paragraph 3, or other grounds that are universally recognized as impermissible under international law, in connection with any act referred to in this paragraph or any crime within the jurisdiction of the Court;

(k) Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health.

For more information on how injured workers are treated in this Country just do a search on injured workers or WCB/WSIB, you will find many horror stories of injured being denied proper medical care, physical and mental abuse, threats, fraud, manipulation of files and WCB's misuse of power that was wrongfully given to them in the name of the employer.
WCB's in Canada are protected by a judicial immunity, however that does not apply to International Law, nor does it protect Politicians . As for who gets punished is not up to me but up to the Courts that make the rulings, as WCB's and the Politicians, are National.
I look forward to the threats and intimidation that will be forth coming,as WCB has demonstrated prior and does practice; I WILL meet it with great enthusiasm, it will only give me more strength and determination. Nothing in this world will please me more then to watch a giant fascist organization come crumbling down.

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Saturday, May 9, 2009

Wife of an injured worker voices out

I am the wife of an injured worker and I am writing on behalf of the "Family", how injury and WCB affects all the family as a unit.The injury is bad enough,but the insult by WCB ( and my husbands union) is far worse.
First, my husband has a lower back injury, although at times he looks and acts perfectly average, it is short lived. Things most people take for granted, cause him great pain, to play catch, helping the kids ride a bike, even change a diaper ( we are past that stage now), all cause irritation to his back. We also have an 8 yr old son, who is handicapped, he is a little person diagnosed with Achondroplasia with complications. As of July 2008, he has had 19 surgeries, most of his needs are are done by myself because my husband cannot physically maneuver for these low needs ( toilet, bath,lifting , carrying,etc) so I am responsible for all of our sons needs, as well as the house hold, yard work,snow shoveling, etc.
As a wife and mother, I am busy, as most of us are, but as a mother to a child with a disability, sometimes regular things take a back seat; between medical appointments, hospitalization and special needs, there is not a lot of time (or energy) for paid employment. But WCB has has forced me out there, so far my employer has been understanding to our son's needs.
As for my husbands union, what a disgrace! To claim their "brother"was not insured 3 weeks prior, or 3 weeks post injury ( 6 week period), but was insured at other times is probably one of the biggest insults of all. Unions are supposed to stand up and defend their "brothers and sisters", not kick them while they are down.
Then there is WCB, those 3 letters should be struck from the alphabet! WCB claims to be there for the injured workers, but I have yet to see this. I have seen mistreatment of the injured in the past, but now I live with it.
My husband and I , along with our children, we all suffer because of the WCB, mentally, emotionally,physically and financially; humiliation, frustration, poverty, anger all caused by WCB. My husband, like many others, is consumed by WCB - it is always there. I dread correspondence from WCB via mail, it is like receiving a letter bomb; you wait for the explosion, because you know something is about to blow!
My husbands latest injury occurred in August 99, and we are farther behind today, RRSP's and RESP's are long gone, I try to work 2 jobs to make ends meet and I pray everyday that WCB will soon be out of our lives. Unfortunatly, WCB prefers that the injured workers would just give up on their claim or drop dead, before they ( WCB ) have to part with any cash.
But we will still keep on kicking.

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Thursday, April 9, 2009

This is written for the province of Alberta and Canada as a whole. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE !

Workers Compensation Boards in Canada, which are under Provincial legislation, are all part of the Association of Workers Compensation Boards of Canada.
http://www.awcbc.org
Workers Compensation Boards in Canada are members of The American Association of State Compensation Insurance Funds, or AASCIF, is an association of workers' compensation insurance companies from 27 different states, plus 10 workers' compensation boards in Canada. In the US, these companies--loosely referred to as state funds--each specialize in writing workers' compensation insurance in a single state. Some of these companies operate as private insurance companies, whereas others act as agencies of their respective state governments. In Canada, all workers' compensation insurance is provided through workers' compensation boards, which have complete jurisdictional and administrative powers related to workers' compensation in their respective provinces.
Home link http://02cd9d2.netsolhost.com/public/1.0_overview.htm
Link of interest, that directly pertains to audits and anti-fraud prevention, which raises questions. http://02cd9d2.netsolhost.com/public/jul_aug_sep06/audit.htm
Addition of this link Titled Model Audit: Internal control over financial Reporting: http://02cd9d2.netsolhost.com/public/Third_Quarter_2008/modelaudit.htm
This link pertains directly to the Province of Nova Scotia: Everything is all in-house, no input from outside resources that was noticed. http://02cd9d2.netsolhost.com/public/Fourth_Quarter_2008/leadership.htm
And functions with all kinds of fun and entertainment at whose expense? http://02cd9d2.netsolhost.com/public/archive/july-august-september03/3.2.3_july-august-september03.htm


Workers Compensation Boards of Canada are also part of The International Association of Workers Compensation Boards:
http://www.iaiabc.org/
Which have input of information pertaining to; managing claims, Provincial or State Law, even financial matters. What I find most interesting is that on a web page of the I.A.I.A.B.C they refer to themselves as “an association of government agencies that administer and regulate their jurisdiction’s workers' compensation acts”
The IAIABC specializes in:
• Connecting individuals for the exchange of information and the development of lasting relationships,
• Identifying current issues and future trends to help improve the administration of workers' compensation, and
• Answering inquiries, saving members time and money
Types of IAIABC Membership
There are different types of IAIABC membership that recognize the unique needs and situations of your company or agency. Dues are paid annually, running a calendar year, and can be pro-rated on a monthly basis. Following are the membership categories. Benefits and annual dues that are associated with each category vary in amount.
Jurisdictional Membership
Jurisdictional members are governmental agencies, commissions, boards, councils and courts.
Associate Corporate Membership
Associate Corporate members are associations, insurers, employers, medical providers, and more. Associate Corporate membership includes employees in branch or remote offices of the same company and parent or majority-owned subsidiary companies.
Associate Individual Membership
Associate Individual members are individuals/employees with professional or personal interest in workers' compensation.
EDI Membership
EDI members are Associate member companies with a desire to be on the front lines of setting national EDI standards. EDI are also considered Associate Corporate Members.
City/County Membership
City/County members are local city or county government agencies.

Now if Workers Compensation Boards of Canada are Internationally Associated by not one but three separate Associations, why is it allowed to have Quasi-judicial rights in Canada?
Why is the Federal Government of Canada allowing Canadian Charter of Rights to be VIOLATED continuously by these associations ?
Why is it allowed to be part of Provincial Government Unions? Especially when it’s an arm’s length of Government!
It is obvious that the WCB’s in Canada are not independent organizations as they claim, they just use independent names.
WCB’s in Canada should either be a Government agency or Independent, regardless no organization has the right to full jurisdiction and authority over Canadian Citizens, WCB of Alberta Polices alone, is a contradiction to the Canadian Charter of Rights.


PRINCIPLES OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION (Alberta)

The principles contained in Sir William Meredith's 1913 Final Report (see Appendix C) are the foundation of workers’ compensation in Alberta. Since 1913, these principles have evolved to reflect changing conditions. The principles are intended to be a “living document” and will continue to evolve as circumstances necessitate. Where does it say in the Meredith report that it is intended to be a living document? How can a document evolve as circumstances necessitate, when laws change but have no effect on the organization that hides behind a quasi-judicial system, more manipulations?

Today, the Workers' Compensation Board - Alberta operates according to the following principles¨, which apply to all workers and employers protected by the Alberta Workers’ Compensation Act. These principles provide direction to management in the development of policy and establish a frame of reference for the Board of Directors for policy decision-making. The principles also provide staff, management, our clients and the general public with guidance on the interpretation and application of policy. The principles are intended to provide the “why” or philosophical basis behind the policies. The articulation of principles provides transparency and points of reference for all stakeholders so that policy decisions of the Board of Directors can be better understood. Policy is written by the WCB for the WCB.

SYSTEM
1. Exclusive Jurisdiction
The WCB should strike the right balance between affording choice to workers and employers in areas where choice is in their best interests, but in matters where the WCB has expertise or where choice may not be in the best interests, the WCB should exercise exclusive jurisdiction.
2. No Fault
The WCB assumes liability for the injury in work-related circumstances despite the presence of fault on the part of a worker or employer. The WCB’s determination of what is “work- related” must appear reasonable to an ordinary, clear-thinking person. The worker’s compensation system should also encourage individual and employer accountability in other ways.
3. Protection from Lawsuit
Protection from lawsuit should apply in situations where the activities causing the injury are part of the employer’s normal insured activities, based on a reasonable person test, and operate to displace any tort remedy for that injury.
4. Employer Pays
Employers are expected to pay the full cost of the system.
5. Neutral Administrator
The WCB is a neutral and autonomous administrator of the workers’ compensation system and strives to balance the interests of workers and employers by providing fair compensation at a fair price.
6. Appeals Process
The appeals process should be fair, impartial, independent and accessible. Appeals issues should be resolved as early as possible in the process.
7. Incident Prevention
Both the benefit and premium structure should promote incident prevention and reduce risk of loss.
FINANCIAL/PREMIUM
8. Balance between Collective Liability and Individual Accountability
The premium structure should reflect a balance between collective liability and individual employer accountability. Collective liability maintains insurance protection by spreading the costs of workers’ compensation across all employers. Employer premiums should contribute to collective liability and also be reflective of their accident experience to promote accident prevention and disability management.
9. Full Funding
There should be sufficient funds on hand to meet present and future liabilities incurred along with a provision for reasonable reserves. Rates should not fluctuate wildly from year to year. (New buildings and in-house bonuses handed out along with rebates to Safety Associations are liabilities?)
BENEFIT
10. Work-Relatedness
The WCB determines which part of the injury or illness is caused by work and compensates for that part.
11. Employability not Employment
The system should strive to restore an injured worker, through rehabilitation, to a state of pre-accident employability, not employment.
12. Retrospective Earnings
The worker’s historical earnings (up to a prescribed maximum) form the basis of the compensation rate, which is a percentage of the earnings, recognizing the normal deductions that worker would pay and encouraging return-to-work. Compensation is based on provable information, not speculation. It recognizes “What was”, not “What could be”.
13. Health Care
The WCB decides the nature, sufficiency and cost of health care, bearing in mind individual needs and system well-being.

14. Quality of Life
The WCB should take reasonable measures to maintain a reasonable quality of life for a severely injured worker where the worker has not otherwise been compensated.
15. Survivor Benefits
Survivor benefits should make reasonable provision for the spouse** and any dependent children of the deceased worker.
** As a result of the Adult Interdependent Relations Act, benefits available to spouses may also be available to adult interdependent partners as defined by the AIR Act.
¨ These principles were approved by the Board of Directors on December 11, 2001 (BoD Resolution 2001/11/57)
As I am not a lawyer, these principles appear to be loop holes for the workers compensation system to give room for their determination as to how theses are applied. Particularly the areas of Jurisdiction, protection from lawsuit, no fault, neutral administration, appeals process, work relatedness, employability, health care, retrospective earnings, quality of life, survivor benefits.
There have been many problems over these, due to WCB’s handling of these principles, as they seem to pick and chose as to how to handle each and every principle to individual claims, not all are handled the same.
Examples of each:
Jurisdiction: having this allows the WCB to make decisions, right or wrong, there is no recourse of action for any party involved.
Protection from lawsuit: WCB’s use this to protect themselves as the employer’s representative, regardless of any situation that may have legal consequences.
No fault: WCB’s assume accountability for the injury and determination of “cause of injury” even when it is “clear to an ordinary, clear thinking person” workers have to fight for their fair treatment
Neutral Administration: now this had to be the biggest loophole of them all,
Neutral and autonomous; when they control all aspects of the compensation system
Strives to balance interests between workers and employers; WCB is the employers representative, of whom injured workers detest, from their abuse of power; employers disprove of the injured worker due to their increases in premiums and WCB’s continuous comments of malingering and fraudulent abuse of the system.
Appeals Process: There is evidence of appeals purposely mishandled, paper work kept by claims managers for months, Supervisors stating the out come of decisions BEFORE appeal is heard, Appeals panels making decisions on legal/ medical / charter of rights and human rights issues that are not qualified for this position
Employability not employment: is this where deeming comes into play? Where an injured worker is deemed to be employed in a position that they have no experience, qualifications or interest in? Even when an injured worker chooses a new occupation, the WCB will and has denied the worker to proceed. It is do it their way or no way.
Retrospective Earnings: There is a ceiling limit to the amount that will be paid out to the injured worker, regardless of income. WCB Alberta claims 95% of the injured workers wage paid out and depending on which year of injury determines the maximum amount. Permanently injured workers are the hardest hit by this, as WCB’s continually reduce benefits as time goes by.
Health Care: WCB’s should not be allowed to determine health care as already has been proven by injured workers that have fallen for this trap, also proven by Physicians that make recommendations for their patients, care and treatment, is ignored or over ruled by claims managers/ WCB doctors who do not even see the patient and improper rehabilitation practices.
Quality of Life: This only applies to severely injured workers, which is determined by the WCB’s; permanently injured workers have to put-up with humiliation, poverty, abuse and frustration. All due to the WCB’s choices of “what is best for worker and employer”, while preventing the permanently injured worker’s from having a quality of life above the poverty line, let alone the social aspects that affect the permanently injured worker in their communities and socially as a whole. Which have been and is the main reason of permanently injured worker suicides, of which the WCB’s denies any wrong doing that caused the emotional breakdowns.
Survivor Benefits: How many spouse’s or dependents have been fighting for their rights after death of a worker?
What about the spouses and dependents of permanently injured workers that have committed suicide due to the actions of the WCB’s?

Workers Compensation Boards have become the sole authority over the injured workers and their physicians, claim managers over ruling medical professionals. WCB hired physicians that do not even see the injured worker physically, making diagnoses of the injury.
Appeals Commission chairs ruling on legal, medical, Canadian Charter of Rights and human rights issues that are unqualified for the position of such decisions. As many court judges have stated in their closing rulings.
Many injured workers have to wait until the WCB has closed their claim before getting proper medical attention, due to loss of medical and judicial rights when in the WCB system.
Recommendations:
Massive changes need to be changed and met:
1. Removal of the Principals of Jurisdiction and Neutral Administration.
2. All medical needs covered by Canadian Health care system, Insurance Corporation’s removal of hiring private medical or rehabilitation staff for injured workers diagnoses or treatment; but may be employed to ensure safe and appropriate rehabilitation.
3. Emergency /closest physicians or workers personal physician: shall be deciders of degree or cause’s of injury and all treatment.
4. Government having direct responsibility for insuring, that the WCB’s do not abuse their position pertaining to the care of the injured worker; federally as a whole; provincially as individual.
5. Board shall provide all necessary needs and insuring all needs to assist/allow the worker to progress to a new life with any and all assistance needed due to injury.
6. Proceeds and payments by the employers to the employers fund for injured workers to be handled by the provincial auditor, along with employment insurance to assist in benefits, as injured pay into that as well, but are not able to collect if injured on the job.
7. WCB to only concentrate on retraining necessities, appropriate rehabilitation and any needs/ aids for the injured worker including personal mobility or daily aids, safe transportation for injured workers, meal and expenses for any injury related appointment or meeting.
8. Deeming of employment to no longer be regarded as basis for benefit entitlement.
9. Employer’s refusal / restriction or interferences of medical care to be open for lawsuit.
10. WCB’s shall recognize the need and importance of injured workers in dependency and privacy.
11. WCB’s shall encourage in an injured workers plight for independence of income, in assisting by supplying the resources available and insuring that all injured workers, who choose this route, are competent in success.
12. Injured worker training to be taught in schools across Canada.
13. Appeals to be heard only by qualified person’s , not those chosen for personal or corporate reasons, there should be at least one qualified person from each of the legal and medical professions on a hearing committee.
14. Violations of Canadian Charter of Rights or human rights shall have charges laid directly to the person or persons that made the infringement.

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I.A.I.A.B.C : An International Association of government agencies

Workers Compensation Boards in Canada, which are under Provincial legislation, are all part of the Association of Workers Compensation Boards of Canada.


Workers Compensation Boards in Canada are members of The American Association of State Compensation Insurance Funds, or AASCIF, is an association of workers' compensation insurance companies from 27 different states, plus 10 workers' compensation boards in Canada. In the US, these companies--loosely referred to as state funds--each specialize in writing workers' compensation insurance in a single state. Some of these companies operate as private insurance companies, whereas others act as agencies of their respective state governments. In Canada, all workers' compensation insurance is provided through workers' compensation boards, which have complete jurisdictional and administrative powers related to workers' compensation in their respective provinces.

Link of interest, that directly pertains to audits and anti-fraud prevention, which raises questions.

Addition of this link Titled Model Audit: Internal control over financial And Audit reporting

WCB employees attend functions with all kinds of fun and entertainment at whose expense?

This link pertains directly to the Province of Nova Scotia: Everything is all in-house, no input from outside resources that was noticed. 


Workers Compensation Boards of Canada are also part of The International Association of Workers Compensation Boards:


Which have input of information pertaining to; managing claims, Provincial or State Law, even financial matters. What I find most interesting is that on a web page of the I.A.I.A.B.C they refer to themselves as “an association of government agencies that administer and regulate their jurisdiction’s workers' compensation acts”
The IAIABC specializes in:
• Connecting individuals for the exchange of information and the development of lasting relationships,
• Identifying current issues and future trends to help improve the administration of workers' compensation, and
• Answering inquiries, saving members time and money
Types of IAIABC Membership
There are different types of IAIABC membership that recognize the unique needs and situations of your company or agency. Dues are paid annually, running a calendar year, and can be pro-rated on a monthly basis. Following are the membership categories. Benefits and annual dues that are associated with each category vary in amount.
Jurisdictional Membership
Jurisdictional members are governmental agencies, commissions, boards, councils and courts.
Associate Corporate Membership
Associate Corporate members are associations, insurers, employers, medical providers, and more. Associate Corporate membership includes employees in branch or remote offices of the same company and parent or majority-owned subsidiary companies.
Associate Individual Membership
Associate Individual members are individuals/employees with professional or personal interest in workers' compensation.
EDI Membership
EDI members are Associate member companies with a desire to be on the front lines of setting national EDI standards. EDI are also considered Associate Corporate Members.
City/County Membership
City/County members are local city or county government agencies.

Now if Workers Compensation Boards of Canada are Internationally Associated by not one but three separate Associations, why is it allowed to have Quasi-judicial rights in Canada?
Why is the Federal Government of Canada allowing Canadian Charter of Rights to be VIOLATED continuously by these associations ?
Why is it allowed to be part of Provincial Government Unions? Especially when it’s an arm’s length of Government!
It is obvious that the WCB’s in Canada are not independent organizations as they claim, they just use independent names.
WCB’s in Canada should either be a Government agency or Independent, regardless no organization has the right to full jurisdiction and authority over Canadian Citizens, WCB of Alberta Polices alone, is a contradiction to the Canadian Charter of Rights.


PRINCIPLES OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION (Alberta)

The principles contained in Sir William Meredith's 1913 Final Report (see Appendix C) are the foundation of workers’ compensation in Alberta. Since 1913, these principles have evolved to reflect changing conditions. The principles are intended to be a “living document” and will continue to evolve as circumstances necessitate. Where does it say in the Meredith report that it is intended to be a living document? How can a document evolve as circumstances necessitate, when laws change but have no effect on the organization that hides behind a quasi-judicial system, more manipulations?

Today, the Workers' Compensation Board - Alberta operates according to the following principles¨, which apply to all workers and employers protected by the Alberta Workers’ Compensation Act. These principles provide direction to management in the development of policy and establish a frame of reference for the Board of Directors for policy decision-making. The principles also provide staff, management, our clients and the general public with guidance on the interpretation and application of policy. The principles are intended to provide the “why” or philosophical basis behind the policies. The articulation of principles provides transparency and points of reference for all stakeholders so that policy decisions of the Board of Directors can be better understood. Policy is written by the WCB for the WCB.

SYSTEM
1. Exclusive Jurisdiction
The WCB should strike the right balance between affording choice to workers and employers in areas where choice is in their best interests, but in matters where the WCB has expertise or where choice may not be in the best interests, the WCB should exercise exclusive jurisdiction.
2. No Fault
The WCB assumes liability for the injury in work-related circumstances despite the presence of fault on the part of a worker or employer. The WCB’s determination of what is “work- related” must appear reasonable to an ordinary, clear-thinking person. The worker’s compensation system should also encourage individual and employer accountability in other ways.
3. Protection from Lawsuit
Protection from lawsuit should apply in situations where the activities causing the injury are part of the employer’s normal insured activities, based on a reasonable person test, and operate to displace any tort remedy for that injury.
4. Employer Pays
Employers are expected to pay the full cost of the system.
5. Neutral Administrator
The WCB is a neutral and autonomous administrator of the workers’ compensation system and strives to balance the interests of workers and employers by providing fair compensation at a fair price.
6. Appeals Process
The appeals process should be fair, impartial, independent and accessible. Appeals issues should be resolved as early as possible in the process.
7. Incident Prevention
Both the benefit and premium structure should promote incident prevention and reduce risk of loss.
FINANCIAL/PREMIUM
8. Balance between Collective Liability and Individual Accountability
The premium structure should reflect a balance between collective liability and individual employer accountability. Collective liability maintains insurance protection by spreading the costs of workers’ compensation across all employers. Employer premiums should contribute to collective liability and also be reflective of their accident experience to promote accident prevention and disability management.
9. Full Funding
There should be sufficient funds on hand to meet present and future liabilities incurred along with a provision for reasonable reserves. Rates should not fluctuate wildly from year to year. (New buildings and in-house bonuses handed out along with rebates to Safety Associations are liabilities?)
BENEFIT
10. Work-Relatedness
The WCB determines which part of the injury or illness is caused by work and compensates for that part.
11. Employability not Employment
The system should strive to restore an injured worker, through rehabilitation, to a state of pre-accident employability, not employment.
12. Retrospective Earnings
The worker’s historical earnings (up to a prescribed maximum) form the basis of the compensation rate, which is a percentage of the earnings, recognizing the normal deductions that worker would pay and encouraging return-to-work. Compensation is based on provable information, not speculation. It recognizes “What was”, not “What could be”.
13. Health Care
The WCB decides the nature, sufficiency and cost of health care, bearing in mind individual needs and system well-being.

14. Quality of Life
The WCB should take reasonable measures to maintain a reasonable quality of life for a severely injured worker where the worker has not otherwise been compensated.
15. Survivor Benefits
Survivor benefits should make reasonable provision for the spouse** and any dependent children of the deceased worker.
** As a result of the Adult Interdependent Relations Act, benefits available to spouses may also be available to adult interdependent partners as defined by the AIR Act.
¨ These principles were approved by the Board of Directors on December 11, 2001 (BoD Resolution 2001/11/57)
As I am not a lawyer, these principles appear to be loop holes for the workers compensation system to give room for their determination as to how theses are applied. Particularly the areas of Jurisdiction, protection from lawsuit, no fault, neutral administration, appeals process, work relatedness, employability, health care, retrospective earnings, quality of life, survivor benefits.
There have been many problems over these, due to WCB’s handling of these principles, as they seem to pick and chose as to how to handle each and every principle to individual claims, not all are handled the same.
Examples of each:
Jurisdiction: having this allows the WCB to make decisions, right or wrong, there is no recourse of action for any party involved.
Protection from lawsuit: WCB’s use this to protect themselves as the employer’s representative, regardless of any situation that may have legal consequences.
No fault: WCB’s assume accountability for the injury and determination of “cause of injury” even when it is “clear to an ordinary, clear thinking person” workers have to fight for their fair treatment
Neutral Administration: now this had to be the biggest loophole of them all,
Neutral and autonomous; when they control all aspects of the compensation system
Strives to balance interests between workers and employers; WCB is the employers representative, of whom injured workers detest, from their abuse of power; employers disprove of the injured worker due to their increases in premiums and WCB’s continuous comments of malingering and fraudulent abuse of the system.
Appeals Process: There is evidence of appeals purposely mishandled, paper work kept by claims managers for months, Supervisors stating the out come of decisions BEFORE appeal is heard, Appeals panels making decisions on legal/ medical / charter of rights and human rights issues that are not qualified for this position
Employability not employment: is this where deeming comes into play? Where an injured worker is deemed to be employed in a position that they have no experience, qualifications or interest in? Even when an injured worker chooses a new occupation, the WCB will and has denied the worker to proceed. It is do it their way or no way.
Retrospective Earnings: There is a ceiling limit to the amount that will be paid out to the injured worker, regardless of income. WCB Alberta claims 95% of the injured workers wage paid out and depending on which year of injury determines the maximum amount. Permanently injured workers are the hardest hit by this, as WCB’s continually reduce benefits as time goes by.
Health Care: WCB’s should not be allowed to determine health care as already has been proven by injured workers that have fallen for this trap, also proven by Physicians that make recommendations for their patients, care and treatment, is ignored or over ruled by claims managers/ WCB doctors who do not even see the patient and improper rehabilitation practices.
Quality of Life: This only applies to severely injured workers, which is determined by the WCB’s; permanently injured workers have to put-up with humiliation, poverty, abuse and frustration. All due to the WCB’s choices of “what is best for worker and employer”, while preventing the permanently injured worker’s from having a quality of life above the poverty line, let alone the social aspects that affect the permanently injured worker in their communities and socially as a whole. Which have been and is the main reason of permanently injured worker suicides, of which the WCB’s denies any wrong doing that caused the emotional breakdowns.
Survivor Benefits: How many spouse’s or dependents have been fighting for their rights after death of a worker?
What about the spouses and dependents of permanently injured workers that have committed suicide due to the actions of the WCB’s?

Workers Compensation Boards have become the sole authority over the injured workers and their physicians, claim managers over ruling medical professionals. WCB hired physicians that do not even see the injured worker physically, making diagnoses of the injury.
Appeals Commission chairs ruling on legal, medical, Canadian Charter of Rights and human rights issues that are unqualified for the position of such decisions. As many court judges have stated in their closing rulings.
Many injured workers have to wait until the WCB has closed their claim before getting proper medical attention, due to loss of medical and judicial rights when in the WCB system.
Recommendations:
Massive changes need to be changed and met:
1. Removal of the Principals of Jurisdiction and Neutral Administration.
2. All medical needs covered by Canadian Health care system, Insurance Corporation’s removal of hiring private medical or rehabilitation staff for injured workers diagnoses or treatment; but may be employed to ensure safe and appropriate rehabilitation.
3. Emergency /closest physicians or workers personal physician: shall be deciders of degree or cause’s of injury and all treatment.
4. Government having direct responsibility for insuring, that the WCB’s do not abuse their position pertaining to the care of the injured worker; federally as a whole; provincially as individual.
5. Board shall provide all necessary needs and insuring all needs to assist/allow the worker to progress to a new life with any and all assistance needed due to injury.
6. Proceeds and payments by the employers to the employers fund for injured workers to be handled by the provincial auditor, along with employment insurance to assist in benefits, as injured pay into that as well, but are not able to collect if injured on the job.
7. WCB to only concentrate on retraining necessities, appropriate rehabilitation and any needs/ aids for the injured worker including personal mobility or daily aids, safe transportation for injured workers, meal and expenses for any injury related appointment or meeting.
8. Deeming of employment to no longer be regarded as basis for benefit entitlement.
9. Employer’s refusal / restriction or interferences of medical care to be open for lawsuit.
10. WCB’s shall recognize the need and importance of injured workers in dependency and privacy.
11. WCB’s shall encourage in an injured workers plight for independence of income, in assisting by supplying the resources available and insuring that all injured workers, who choose this route, are competent in success.
12. Injured worker training to be taught in schools across Canada.
13. Appeals to be heard only by qualified person’s , not those chosen for personal or corporate reasons, there should be at least one qualified person from each of the legal and medical professions on a hearing committee.
14. Violations of Canadian Charter of Rights or human rights shall have charges laid directly to the person or persons that made the infringement.

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