By Mario deSantis, January 8, 2000

It is with amusement that I read the article "Workers' Compensation Board critics off-base(1)" by Peter Federko, CEO of the provincial Workers' Compensation Board. As a self described hypocrite, Federko states that this article exposes the personal viewpoint of the writer, and not of the provincial Workers' Compensation Board (WCB). In this article, Federko responds to the recent criticism expressed by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) pertaining to the setting of the WCB premiums. I don't want to discuss the details of Federko's article since it doesn't make sense to discuss issues raised by a public agency, which consistently experiences a corrupted administration and which is purposefully allowed to go astray from the law. However, I make exception to Federko's statement that the WCB needs "...a public awareness campaign to report accurately the facts about the results, mandate and purpose of the WCB..."

Our Provincial Auditor Wayne Strelioff has studied the WCB's operations and has already warned the Legislature of the misconduct of the agency(2). Therefore, Federko is right in stating the need for a public awareness campaign to report the operations of the WCB. However, he doesn't need any additional work beyond the publicizing of the Provincial Auditor's Report; instead, the WCB has proceeded with spin doctoring an "image boosting campaign" and in doing so not only it is diverting needed money from the injured workers, but it is further alienating the public from the real issue: the legality and corruption of the Workers' Compensation Board(3).

Few days ago I read Carey Heilman's letter which was recently published by the Leader Post of Regina. Heilman is an injured worker who had to undergo painful experiences because of the insensitivity and corrupted behavior of the WCB. In particular, while being shafted by the bureaucracy of the WCB, Heilman lost his home, his family broke up, and later he had to declare bankruptcy. Heilman states in his letter that the WCB has attempted to prevent the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission from hearing cases against the WCB, and that injured workers must wait years before their cases can go through the bureaucratic levels of the WCB.

Mr. Federko is a blatant hypocrite and it would be better for him to shut up his mouth rather than defend the WCB. I also suggest that he pays attention to the Provincial Auditor Report, and that he immediately addresses the legal and administrative irregularities of the provincial Workers' Compensation Board by reporting accurately the facts about the results, mandate and purpose of the WCB. Will you Mr. Federko?

Endnotes

1. Workers' Compensation Board critics off-base" article by Peter Federko, CEO of Workers' Compensation Board, January 6, 2000. Published by The Saskatoon Star Pheonix, Saskatchewan.

2. Report of the Provincial Auditor to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan: 1999 Spring Report, pages 17-28 www.auditor.sk.ca

3. The WCB is defrauding the Saskatchewan People, by Mario deSantis, June 22, 1999