Date
August
17
2007
Members Present
ITEM 1: PRAYER
Assembly Members
Debates of August 17, 2007 (day 12)
Topics
Statements
Member’s Statement On Workers’ Compensation Board Outstanding Claims
Sandy Lee
Range Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak today about WCB. Mr. Speaker, let me start by saying that a lot of good progress has been made between the Members of this House, the Minister, the chair of the Governance Council and the new CEO over the last number of months. We have gotten some really good work done. I am particularly impressed, Mr. Speaker, with the changes in approach and willingness shown by the senior staff in working with us to make the new WCB Act under review as good and as responsive as it can be for the stakeholders.
Before I get too carried away with too many compliments and confusing the balance of things, Mr. Speaker, I have to tell you about something we have not seen as much progress on. That is the fact that we have not seen much movement in policy changes or closure of many long outstanding files. Some of them are 15 to 20 years long. The long awaited changes to the chronic pain policy announced in April of this year have not translated into concrete changes in situations for a dozen or so files that have been on the WCB lineup for many years. The abrupt settlement of the Ivan Valic appeal raised expectations for equally speedy settlement or system-wide changes. But that is not what has happened. Everything surrounding it remains enclosed in shadow. After a flurry of activities, I don’t know of any more resources or push being made to come to a resolution of longstanding cases.
Mr. Speaker, the last I heard, the new chronic pain policy was still hung up on retroactivity clause. I know the worker's advisor has been gathering all the cases hoping to make progress with the new management and new direction, but, as I see it, unless there are real efforts made and real resources put forward to clean up these files quickly, nothing is going to get done. So I urge the WCB, the new management, the Minister and the board to keep working, to really do something about these long outstanding files and the people that are waiting. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause