Injured Workers’ Day rally taking place in London on Sunday

File - An image of workers in a heavy industrial environment

Rallies will be taking place across Ontario today - including in London - to mark Injured Workers’ Day.

Injured and ill workers across Ontario will gather to mark the 43rd Annual Injured Workers’ Day - the first to be officially proclaimed by the Ontario Legislature following the passage of Bill 118 - The Injured Workers’ Day Act.

While workers and advocates state this official recognition of the day is an important milestone, they state that meaningful change must follow.

Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups (ONIWG) is calling attention to ongoing injustices faced by injured workers such as denied healthcare and systemic discrimination, especially against migrant workers, over $20-billion in WSIB employer rebates, and harmful practices that cut compensation benefits.

The rally in London will take place at 11 a.m. on June 1 on the northwest corner of Victoria Park.

Kendal McKinney, member of the research and action committee with ONIWG, says the group has been marking the day unofficially before this year.

“This is the first Injured Workers’ Day that is officially recognized by the Province of Ontario as Injured Workers’ Day. So we’re trying to bring attention and awareness to the plight of injured workers, and the state of the workers comp system.”

He says the current system is failing for these individuals.

“We actually do have a replacement act that is hopefully going to be introduced by a private Member’s bill in the legislature in the fall. So, the idea is to raise awareness, and hopefully rally support behind this drive to put workers in a much, much better situation than they’re in right now.”

McKinney says these workers are not alone.

“One of the things that this is for that is also really, really important just as much if not more so then reaching the general public with this information is for injured workers to see each other, and understand that they are not alone.”

This year’s Injured Workers’ Day events will take place in six cities including Toronto, London, Oshawa, Peterborough, Thunder Bay, and Windsor.

More information can be found by clicking here.

- by Meagan Delaurier, Rob Hindi, AM800, with files from CTV News London’s Bailey Shakyaver