Paul Petrie’s 2025 addendum calls B.C.’s experience rating funding model a “corrosive” system that incentivizes employers to under‑report injuries and suppress workers’ compensation claims. Drawing on enforcement data obtained via FOI requests and the 2020 Institute for Work & Health claim suppression study, he highlights striking enforcement gaps. Petrie illustrates the real‑world consequences using a […]
Category: Reports
In-depth analysis of government reviews, independent audits, and commissioned studies that shape the workers’ compensation landscape in BC.
New Directions: Report of the WCB Review 2019
Janet Patterson’s 2019 New Directions report offered 102 recommendations to overhaul BC’s workers’ compensation system, calling it overly adversarial, legalistic, and out of step with the needs of injured workers. Based on province-wide consultations, the review urged reforms in claims processing, mental health support, rehabilitation, and case management, emphasizing a more transparent, fair, and worker-focused […]
Restoring the Balance: A Worker-Centred Approach to Workers’ Compensation Policy
Paul Petrie’s 2018 report, Restoring the Balance: A Worker-Centred Approach to Workers’ Compensation Policy, called for 34 reforms to shift WorkSafeBC’s policies toward prioritizing injured workers, including improvements in rehabilitation, compensation, and mental health coverage. A major concern was claim suppression—when employers discourage injury reporting—which Petrie urged WorkSafeBC to study further. A 2020 investigation found […]