Debbie
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| I feel that there needs to be a change in the social services program. People do not have enough rent money, and their rent is so high unless you pick one of the worst houses, and there are lots of those in this city. Even those houses are overpriced. In order to get a house, you have to take money from your cheques. This leaves you lacking in other parts of your basic allowance for food, clothes, and personal items etc. The out side world believes us social assistance people have as much money to live on, and how wrong they are. I truly wish that some of the people that are always complaining about our big cheques would have to live on it for three or four months. If there was a rent increase on our own cheques and maybe a rent cap for landlords, maybe then we might actually be able to buy some of the things we need, like food, for our kids. |
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Len
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By trade I was a carpenter until Feb/04 when I fell and injured my lower lumber region. After 3 months of rehab a chiropractor decided he would try a little back manipulation to see if it would speed of my recovery. Unfortunately it did not work. Instead I was left in worse condition partially unable to walk for some time as he ended up exasperating the original injury. After another 4 months of rehab the decision that I would not be able to return to my profession was taken and the process of reeducation was pursued. Eighteen months after my injury I was attending a local college taking a computer programming course. After some 6 months attending I had fallen behind as my ongoing problems with my back caused my attendance to lag behind. All of my absentee’s were noted by my family doctor.
However a decision by WCB was taken that I would be unable to complete the course on schedule and I was withdrawn from classes and my benefits were terminated. I immediately appealed the decision filling out the forms which can be found on the WCB Appeals website. After 3 months the decision came back in my favor. The relevant sections of the Appeal’s act that the Appeal’s Committee used are as follows.
RELEVANT ACT SECTION AND POLICY
Subsection 21.1(1)(d) of the Saskatchewan Worker’s Compensation Act, 1979 (the Act), states:
21.1(1)(d) The Worker’s Compensation Board (WCB) will consult and cooperate with workers and surviving spouses in the development of rehabilitation plans, intended to return workers or dependent spouses to positions of independents in suitable, productive employment.
Under Section 51.1(a)(b) of the Act, the worker has a duty to:
51.1(a) take all reasonable action to mitigate the loss of earnings resulting from an injury; and
(b) where the circumstances require, co-operate with the board in the development of a rehabilitation plan that is intended to return the worker to a position of independence in suitable productive employment.
Section 104 of the Act provides the Worker’s Compensation Board (the Board) the authority to identify situations when to review, increase or decrease and suspend or terminate compensation benefits.
I started back in class in October 2006. |
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Sam
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| I happen to be chatting with a woman at the bus stop, and somehow we got talking about health issues. What she told me was disturbing because it seemed to me that our own Canadian government screws it own people. This woman had injured her arm on the job and went to her manager. The manager put her off saying that she was no more important than anyone else. Upon coming back to work after a six month leave, she continued to receive numerous unkindnesses, and felt she was being singled out. She finally phoned the president of the international worker’s union to voice her concerns. Indeed, she was not imagining anything. She was told that managers are coached to harass people who use sick time in hopes of driving them out of the work place, even if it’s based on a work related injury. I thought to myself, ‘Here we are in Canada, the country thought to be the best country in the world for social justice and reform.’ |
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Debbie
Sam
Len