Tories want Liberals to stop worker’s compensation being used to fund OFL staff

PCs press government to stop funding for workers’ compensation training that covered gym memberships and Muskoka retreats

Thestar.com
March 24, 2015
By Rob Ferguson


The Progressive Conservatives are pressing the government to stop funding for worker’s compensation training that has been used in part for gym memberships, car allowances and Muskoka retreats.

Money for the program - totalling $12.3 million since 2003 - has gone from the Workplace Safety Insurance Board to the Ontario Federation of Labour, Conservative MPP Randy Hillier said Tuesday.

“From what I can tell, there has never been any oversight of this fund whatsoever - no applications, no reporting and zero value for money,” Hillier, his party’s labour critic, charged in an exchange in the legislature with Labour Minister Kevin Flynn.

“It’s just a slush fund for the OFL.”

The program is called the occupational disability response team grant.

Federation president Sid Ryan said the money comes from employers through the WSIB - not taxpayers - and defended the program that trains labour activists to help injured workers push their compensation claims through a system with 8,000 backlogged cases.

“We train new generations of workers to represent at the board and tribunals ... to know their rights and obligations,” Ryan told the Star.

Among other things, Hillier flagged $2,000 in gym memberships and physiotherapy for staff under the program, $44,000 for two “trainer development events” at Bayview Wildwood Resort on Sparrow Lake north of Orillia, and monthly car allowances of $725 to two staff.

“It’s not helping injured workers. It’s helping feather some nests, maybe,” said the MPP for Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington.

He obtained details through a freedom-of-information request, including an internal WSIB document from 2010 highlighting “questionable spending” in the program.

Ryan said the gym memberships are part of extended health benefits negotiated under a collective agreement and that the two sessions at the resort covered $170 daily per person with three meals and free use of classrooms.

“That’s not living high on the hog,” he added, noting car allowances are for staff who “drive around the province” to conduct training sessions.

Flynn said Hillier’s question about the program came “out of the blue” in the legislature’s daily question period but later told reporters the government will be “implementing new guidelines” next year.

“I’m unaware of any of that,” he added when asked about the perks.

“It’s a different time and place for government these days. Gym memberships are certainly out of the question for the government of Ontario, the ministry of labour and, I would hope, for all agencies.”

The WSIB said in a statement it realized in 2010 that “certain improvements” could be made to the program and “immediately took measures to strengthen the grant contracts to comply with government directives” limiting travel, meal and hospitality expenses.

A value for money audit concluded that the program had merit but “acknowledged that improvements to some elements ... could be made, including overall strategy and governance,” the board’s Christine Arnott said in an email.

Ryan said the pending changes mean the OFL will have to make a pitch showing the program provides “value for money” and accused Hillier of sour grapes after the Conservatives lost last June’s election amid a torrent of anti-Tory ads from labour.

“We’ll have no problem making the case. If we weren’t doing this, the WSIB caseload would explode.”