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Workers’ Compensation

  • Image: "clocks" by Leo Reynolds is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
In March, 2020, as fears mounted over covid-19, the Supreme Court of British Columbia and British Columbia Court of Appeal suspended their regular operations. I expressed concern at the time with courthouses closing at a time when they are needed more...

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  • "Tommy Douglas - Keeping an eye on Parliament" by Jamie McCaffrey is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
One of the institutions we treasure most as Canadians is our national health care system. Under the Canada Health Act (CHA), all "insured persons" are entitled to receive "insured health services" without charge.     “Insured health services” means hospital services, physician services and...

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  • Image: "Injured Piggy Bank With Crutches" by kenteegardin is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” -- Upton Sinclair Last week, this column discussed how the B.C. Worker’s Compensation Board (WCB or Board) uses key performance indicators to...

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  • Image: "Statement by the chief coroner" by BC Gov Photos is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The B.C. Workers Compensation Board’s (WCB or the Board) website and annual reports contain no images of anyone injured. This is consistent with how the Board currently administers claims. The October, 2019 report to B.C.’s Minister of Labour, New Directions Report of...

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  • Image: "#selfcare_in_september day 15: 10 good things about my body. ☆ ☆ This was a huge struggle. If you're friends with me on Facebook you saw my post about my spinal injury. It's flared up recently or I've reinjured myself and am in constant agony. ☆ ☆ When yo" by Katje van Loon is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
If in the past 18 years you or someone you know has suffered a serious injury at work, you will know what it is like to encounter British Columbia’s Worker’s Compensation Board (WCB or the Board). B.C.’s workers compensation system is...

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  • Image: "Never Give In !" by Neil. Moralee is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
In 2002, the provincial government amended the Workers’ Compensation Act. The amendments made it more difficult for injured workers to receive compensation for their workplace injuries. Earlier this year, B.C.’s Workers Compensation Act was amended. Significantly, a legislative provision which had attempted...

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  • Photo: "The view at random times" by jon_a_ross is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Have you ever encountered a situation in which you knew an organization was being unfair, but you weren’t sure what to do about it? It is possible that a violation of the administrative law duty of procedural fairness may have occurred.  This is...

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  • Photo: "IMG_20160909_162859" by pallavisharmaduffy is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
In Greig v Desjardins Financial Security Life Assurance Company, the British Columbia Supreme Court recently chastised another long term disability (LTD) provider for wrongfully denying benefits to an injured employee. Mr. Greig was employed by a British Columbia school district and...

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  • Photo, Pexels: woman-sleeping-935777
The B.C. Court of Appeal recently released a decision in which justice was done in a very sad case.  The case involved a woman named Ms. Tanious. Just before starting a new job in 2005, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis...

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If you have filed a Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) claim within the past 15 years or so in BC, you may be well aware that dealing with the B.C. WCB can extremely frustrating. In 1917, the Workers Compensation Act (the...

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