I’ve had some experience with this professionally and was speaking to another forum member today about it as well who had some experience with worker’s comp/insurance and we agreed.
If I was advising the players I would tell them to run away from WC as fast and as far as possible. They often deny or cut off benefits for no apparent reason and generally pay less compensation than insurance. If you don’t like their decision you can generally only appeal it once- to their own appeal board usually made up of political hacks. They can’t be sued.
Insurance companies often deny or cut off benefits for no apparent reason (other than to save money) as well, but that decision is open to meaningful review. They can be sued and if they can’t back up their position they will get hammered in court and benefits will be reinstated, unlike WC, which is generally immune to any meaningful overview.
Office workers are covered by workers compensation.
Don't know what the cost of covering football, hockey, baseball, soccer players would be.
I am a little confused over this attempt by the CFL to access workers comp. Would it mean that when a player goes on the 6 game injured and he can't play that it would be the taxpayers of Ontario that would pay them and not the teams?
Not to mention the incidences of player needing worker's compensation would be drastically higher compared to other professions due to the nature of this very rough sport. Fraught with injuries.
Office workers aren’t generally covered by WC in Manitoba but that could be different in Ontario.
As to the taxpayers paying the freight, that is possible but not the goal. WC charges businesses a premium they must pay per employee. Benefits are paid out from these premiums, which are also used to pay for running the office and staff and the like.
The goal is that the premiums will cover the cost of administration and benefits. That would be similar to government run car insurance such as we have in Manitoba and most provinces cover car insurance costs and actually provide a rebate.
I have no idea if provincial WC Boards routinely cover their costs via the premiums charged and specifically whether Ontario does. Perhaps someone else knows. If they don’t cover their costs then essentially the taxpayer would be on the hook.
same in Ontario. Office workers may receive employers liability, but that is an insurance coverage purchased by the company, not offered by the government.
WSIB would not be extended to an office worker UNLESS the employer decided to pay into it. (which 95% of office based companies do not, as it is an unneeded expense).