August 26, 2020

The BC Building Trades is pleased to see the release of the Patterson report into the Workers’ Compensation System.

The report flows from the review conducted by retired labour lawyer Janet Patterson last year. Patterson was appointed by the Ministry of Labour in April 2019 to assess how to modernize the Board’s culture, case management and return to work (RTW) practices to reflect a worker-centric service delivery model.

“We look forward to reviewing in detail the recommendations Patterson has made in the report,” said Andrew Mercier, Executive Director of the BC Building Trades. “Construction workers have long been calling for fairness and improved access at the workers’ compensation board.”

Patterson held public hearings across the province and received almost 2,000 submissions from stakeholders. Patterson also received an additional 200 presentations, mostly from injured workers and their families on their experiences with the workers’ compensation system.

“For many workers, a workplace injury can be a life altering event. I want to thank the workers that came forward to share their stories so this review could get the human experience of the effect policy, practice and board culture is having on workers,” said Mercier. “I hope with the release of today’s report, these workers can see their voices reflected and we can start building a plan to implement the recommendations.”

The BC Building Trades is especially looking forward to reviewing the recommendations around Return to Work (RTW) and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) which are important areas for construction workers.

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For more information, contact:

Andrew Mercier, BC Building Trades – 778.397.2220