WCB Update Bill 41 – PART TWO
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM PST This is a virtual event
This workshop takes place via ZOOM. The link will be sent 1-2 days prior to the workshop.
In November 2022, the NDP made some big changes to the Workers Compensation Act that will impact how unions advocate for members injured on the job. Some changes have already come into effect, but the most significant: the Duty to Maintain Employment for employers, and the Duty to Co-operate for both workers and employers, will become law on January 1, 2024.
The proposed policy has been released by the WCB and is available for consultation with both the Workers’ Compensation Advocacy Group and the BC Federation of Labour.
These changes are going to effect not just WCB advocates, but staff reps, business agents and worksite stewards because the changes are going to be taking place on the ground.
You need to get ready for these changes as they will affect how you do business in the workplace. We will try to give you a heads-up about what to expect based on the new policy the WCB has drafted.
Facilitators: Sarah O’Leary and Rolf Harrison, Harrison O’Leary
Sarah O’Leary was called to the bar in 1981 and has primarily been practicing Workers’ Compensation and disability-related law for over 30 years. She has been a workers advisor, a Vice-Chair at the Appeal Division, a staff lawyer at a major health care union and practiced for 10 years at Rush Crane Guenther. She is currently a partner at Harrison O’Leary. She has been teaching workers’ compensation advocacy to labour unions for over three decades.
Rolf Harrison is a lawyer at Harrison O’Leary and has practiced mainly in the area of workers’ compensation since 2010 when he was called to the bar. He practiced at Rush Crane Guenther from 2010 until joining with Sarah O’Leary to form Harrison O’Leary in 2017. Rolf regularly facilitates courses for union advocates on emerging trends in workers’ compensation and has been a WCB facilitator at the CLC Winter School since 2012.