Freedom Flyer 13

All three candidates agreed many changes were needed to the proposed bill. "If I'm elected I will work strenuously for you to stop this legislation and any bad legislation. I will personally push for your funding. I know it's a battle and you have to have funding," said O'Brine. Comparing the Liberal government to the WCB, O'Brine said both institutions were becoming known for their bureaucracy and red tape. The bureaucracy is causing a huge backlog of injured workers, and particularly those seeking appeals.

When O'Brine's party was criticized by Peter Kormos for being associated with big business, O'Brine said he did not like to be labelled. "No party has a monopoly on caring for people. I don't have to be a member of the NDP to have a heart." O'Brine said he personally cared about the issue because of a back problem he has, which has affected his quality of life. In addition to stating that accidents are a business cost and should be, O'Brine said the bottom line was to improve the workplace so that accidents are greatly reduced.

Criticizing the Liberal government for being "arrogant," O'Brine used Sunday shopping as a prime example. "The Liberals are going ahead with it, despite the fact they know the whole province is against it."

After giving a brief history of the WCB, Fitzgerald pointed out how the WCB has deteriorated with time. Fitzgerald said prior to the WCB, workers were allowed to sue their employers, but that right was taken away when the WCB was established and money was guaranteed to compensate for the loss of rights. Fitzgerald called for a more accurate financial assessment of injured workers,since the WCB's assessments are unsatisfactory.

Fitzgerald does not agree with how the WCB assesses pension claims depending on age. Those on pension will receive $1,000 less in pension monies for each year they are older than 45. Therefore, many people who are more than 65 years old receive "next to nothing" for their pensions. Fitzgerald later told The Guardian: "The Freedom Party does not believe in mandatory retirement. We don't like the arbitrary figure of 65."

The Freedom Party is aproximately four-and-a-half years old. Fitzgerald is a Welland resident and is employed as an electrician at Atlas Specialty Steels.

According to Kormos, "Injuries have continued to spiral. Every working day a person is killed on the job." Since 1985 the Liberals have had the opportunity to amend the Compensation Act to help alleviate "the streams of workers" on compensation, Kormos said. The NDP office in the Welland- Thorold Riding has been assisting people in making appeals to the WCB, and the numbers increase each year.

Being a lawyer by profession, Kormos said the proposed bill in its present form gives "free reign" and "discretionary powers" to the board. "And that's why we have to have it stopped."

If the bill is passed, Kormos told the audience the WCB will be assessing employees on what it estimates a worker should be able to make in the workforce in the future, despite the injury or disability.

However, the WCB is assuming that injured workers will be able to obtain work when they assess the amounts allotted in compensation claims. The monetary allotments arc based on "phantom jobs," he said.

"The minister of labor absolutely has no right to indicate he has broad public support, because that's a lie. Because if Bill 162 were an example of sound public policy, we wouldn't be here," Kormos said. "We know that it's badly flawed."