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Act Now - The Report of the WCB Legislative Review Panel to the

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2.0 General <strong>The</strong>mesDuring <strong>the</strong> course <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Panel</strong>’s public consultation phase, we heard a number <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>mesrepeated over and over. We have titled our report “ACT NOW” and incorporated many<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> recurring comments we heard from stakeholders in<strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> title:‣ Accountability <strong>to</strong> stakeholders,‣ Compensation that is fair,‣ Transparency in decision-making,‣ Non-adversarial adjudication, not litigation,‣ Operations that are respectful and responsive, and‣ Workplace safety <strong>to</strong> prevent work-related injuries.<strong>The</strong> <strong>Panel</strong> has highlighted 5 general <strong>the</strong>mes in this report. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Panel</strong>’s specificconclusions and recommendations are influenced by <strong>the</strong>se general <strong>the</strong>mes.2.1 <strong>The</strong> “Meredith Principles”Stakeholders <strong>to</strong>ld us <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> continued importance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> “Meredith Principles,” which are<strong>the</strong> foundation <strong>of</strong> workers’ compensation systems in Canada. <strong>The</strong> principles areincorporated in a report about workers’ compensation legislation written by Sir WilliamMeredith and presented <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> Lieutenant Governor <strong>of</strong> Ontario in 1913. <strong>The</strong>se principlesare also described as part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> his<strong>to</strong>ric trade-<strong>of</strong>f between workers and employers and aresummarized in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Panel</strong>’s terms <strong>of</strong> reference: Workers relinquish <strong>the</strong>ir right <strong>to</strong> sue employers, at common law, in return fora no fault system <strong>of</strong> compensation, medical treatment, and rehabilitation. Employers accept collective liability and <strong>to</strong>tally fund <strong>the</strong> compensationsystem in return for protection from legal action. Workers’ compensation boards must be independent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> executive branch<strong>of</strong> government and must be perceived as adjudicating on an independent basis. Accountability is a fundamental prerequisite for preventing misuse <strong>of</strong>delegated power.<strong>WCB</strong> <strong>Legislative</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>Panel</strong> <strong>Report</strong> Page 6 <strong>of</strong> 128December, 2001

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