NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release 2002SDL0036-001082 Dec. 12, 2002		Ministry of Skills Development and Labour
WCB BOARD TO BE RESPONSIVE TO EMPLOYEES, EMPLOYERS

VICTORIA – A board of directors has been named to review, restructure and rebuild the Workers’ Compensation Board to make it more responsive to the needs of employees and employers, Labour Minister Graham Bruce announced today.

 

“The composition of the board has been laid out in legislation to ensure decisions are made with the public interest as the priority,” said Bruce. “Building a more responsive workers’ compensation system is a New Era commitment of this government. I am confident in the abilities of this board to make the changes – both to the culture of the institution and to the 35,000 statutes, regulations and policies – changes that have been requested by so many who have gone through the process.”

 

The board will be in place Jan. 2 with Douglas Enns, FCA, as its chair. Enns, a chartered accountant, merged two troubled financial institutions to build Pacific Coast Savings in Victoria.  Board members are:

·        Terry Brown, general manager of Greyback Construction with extensive history in the construction industry and in-depth knowledge of workplace safety. 

·        Peter Morse, a former president of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries with expertise in the design and funding of retirement plans, including the impact of employee and labour relations issues on those plans.

·        Calvin Lee, who has a background in strategic performance and management and organizational behaviour.  He is a former deputy minister of occupational health and safety in Alberta.

·        Roslyn Kunin, a British Columbia economist, researcher and professor who received the Order of Canada this year.

·        Arlene Ward, who has training and experience in developing disability management practices to assist people with injuries or illnesses.

·        Stephen Hunt, whose background with the United Steelworkers of America covers all aspects of health and safety with specific expertise in mine safety.

 

At the same time, Bruce acknowledged the contribution by the existing panel members, Maureen Nicholls, Bruce Rollick and Alan Barnard, and thanked them for their work.

 

“This summer, I asked labour, business and private-sector associations and companies for nominations for the board positions,” said Bruce. “The members were chosen for their experience in working with injured people, their professional affiliation and their success in managing and turning around large systems.” 

Bruce also released the H. Allan Hunt report on the Workers’ Compensation Board’s service delivery and turned it over to the board for implementation. The report assesses the Workers’ Compensation Board’s dealings with workers, employers and the public, its current service standards and recommendations for improvements. Hunt was appointed in fall 2001 to carry out the review as part of the government’s review of the Workers’ Compensation Board. 

 

“Our government is asking the board to take a fair, compassionate and co-operative approach in implementing the reforms that are needed – and the WCB to take the same approach in assisting their clients from the initial contact through to the completion of a file,” said Bruce.

 

“The board’s primary obligation is to make the workers’ compensation system responsive, accountable and sustainable so that employees and employers know they can count on its benefits in the unfortunate event of injury,” Bruce added. “That was the reason for the historic compromise between employees and employers in 1917 that created the workers’ compensation system in the first place.

 

“Under the historic compromise, employees give up their right to sue in exchange for the system’s benefits; and employers fund the system in return for protection against lawsuit. Without this compromise, business would face serious cost implications.”

 

Earlier this year, Bill 49 was introduced to make five main changes to wage replacement benefits designed to control costs while maintaining benefits among the most generous in Canada.  “Those changes were based on recommendations from the 2002 Alan Winter report called for by our government and the $7-million 1999 royal commission on the WCB, commissioned but never implemented by the previous government,” said Bruce.

 

The appointment of Jill Callan as chair of the independent Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal was also announced today. Callan was most recently special counsel at ICBC, where the department she led worked closely with external law firms to manage all of the corporation’s claims needs. Previously she held several positions in the appeal division at the WCB, rising to deputy chief appeal commissioner in 2001.

 

“Jill Callan will take on the role immediately with a goal of bringing the tribunal into full operation on March 3, 2003,” said Bruce. “The establishment of a more timely and efficient appeals process and the creation of this independent tribunal, external to the WCB, will result in a better system that treats workers and employers fairly and gives them the decisions they need to get on with their lives.”

 

The executive summary of the Hunt report is available at: http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/wcbreform/HuntReport-ExecSumm.pdf (pdf format, 8 pages, 21 kb)

 

The full report is available at: http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/wcbreform/HuntReport-Complete.pdf
(pdf format, 130 pages, 454 kb)

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