The Worker’s Compensation Board was founded on the Meredith principles and was created with good intentions. However, over time the WCB has strayed from the principles of compensation that it was founded on. The principles and what they stand for have become obscured, impartiality and neutrality are often ignored, and the overall organization has become biased and runs coarse to what it was created to do.

The WCB has become an organization focused on the bottom line and has developed a culture of “if they don’t ask we don’t pay” rather than paying the injured worker all of the entitlement owing.The very system created to help injured workers is driving them into poor mental states and in some cases forcing them to resort to drug dependency to control pain, bankruptcy, social welfare programs, and a less than adequate way of life. I believe we can agree that this affects all Albertans not only financially but it also impacts the medical system and society as a whole.

It has been stated that “the principles are intended to be a ‘living document’ and will continue to evolve as circumstances necessitate”. The time to evolve has come and we must work together to once again develop a fair and impartial system with the employers and foremost the workers best interests in mind. There is power in numbers and the more parties we get involved in asking for amendments to the WCB system the more likely the problems are to get recognition and possibly change. If you would like to see more government involvement in the Alberta WCB and would like some positive changes to take place in the organization click the link below and sign the petition.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/changewcb/