[HQ] Hostage Taking in Edmonton, Alberta WCB OCT 21, 2009

My husband left me a message this morning of the situation in Edmonton. The hostage taking of WSIB workers. Regrettably I do not fell sorry for these people. Kudos to the gentlemen who had the balls to do it. I well known where he is coming from and have often said, I'm surprised no one has gone postal on them yet. Currently I am off work due to a work related injury. All I can say without being long winded is that I have had nothing but problems with them myself. Not only do you have your injury to deal you also start to depressed and stressed out with the constant fighting with WSIB. Not everyone is out to screw them. I must make at least 3 calls a week to my adjudicator about different things. If I'm lucky she might call back. I have called my Government officials to step in, I have called manages, directors of care anyone that would help with any problem. It's a run around, a constant struggle. I know where this man was coming from. I hope they help him and try to understand what it is like to deal with an organization like WSIB. Something needs to change yesterday. Regards Astrid

I applaud this man in Edmongton for doing what myself and thousands of others want to do but are afraid of the consequainces.. I too got injured at work and then again in a rear end collision while at work. The first Physio therepist I went to said my back was a mess and so WSIB cut me off from seeing him, then they sent me to their clinic at the hospital and their Physio thereapist also declaired my back as a mess and not fixable so then they said i was entitle to a non-economical lost but had to get checked out at yet another therapist to see my limitations. He was a WSIB suckup and said my back was fine and that it was in my head, He never actually touched my back and see just how tight my muscle are. They forced me back to work and that made my back even worse. I have 4 bulging discs in my neck and problems keeping my head up cause of it, constant headeaches, migraines, i also now have arthritis in my neck, both shoulders, upper to lower back, both hips now with ciatica, pinched nerves in both shoulders, numbness in my right arm and hand, numbness in my right leg and a bone spur in the right arm that is poking my nerves and muscles. I have difficulty walking, shaky and wobbly standing up, depressed and stressed with the fighting i do with WSIB and work when i was still there. Woke up in the middle of the night with panic attack, twice it happen, Had to hire a legal advocate to help me cause i couldnt take it anymore. If it wasnt for my family and friends I might of killed myself by now, and i still think about it now and then. I am still fighting WSIB and living on Welfare. My doctors have put me on permanent disability but yet I have to fight with ODSB for them to approve my case. The report of the last physio WSIB sent me is screwing up everything. I then went to another physio and paid out of my pocket and his report state that I am a reck and messt up. Seen a chyropractor and he found my back to be a reck and he couldnt do anything to help me. Went to a accupuncturest and she couldnt help fix my back either. Doctors wont operate on my cause i am diabetic for one and they say that there is a high probability that I could die or be worst off after the surgery. I take numerous pain pills which work less and less on my as my body is getting use to them. I cant sit or stand too long, cant sleep on my right side and only short periods on my back, can only sleep on my left but then my arm and hand goes numb and so i cant sleep too long. I sleep a couple hours at a time throughtout the day. Now WSIB keeps denying me like I as if I never got hurt at work and it never happend. I think they are so busy making escuse to not pay you and keep the money for themselves as if it belong to them then to actually look at my case. From day one they denied me. They did not want to pay for the pain pill, back brace or tenz unit that the doctor had prescribed. My insurance only wanted to cover a small amount of the tenz unit, covered only one back brace and the other ones out of pocket from me. I too feel like going to their offices with a gun or bomb and showing them that we are fed up with their tactics and excuses. WE need to all get together and march into their offices and demand to treat us like human beigns, and give us what is owed to us. We pay into the system so when we get hurt at work we will have money coming in and treatments to help get us better but they give us nothing and deny everything.Something got to be done here

My heart goes out to the man in Edmonton who took his life into his own hands and dont think for a minute there are not thousands like him out there who would like to do the same thing unfortunately, I am one of those people who are forced to jump through hoops by the WSIB. Cut off of all benefits but perscriptions and drawing nearer to financial ruin daily. It is unfortunate that injured workers have no recourse in these situations some people say that the WSIB would just as soon see a worker die on the job so they would only have a one time payment and could wash there hands in cases faster. Something must be done to change there policies as the ones they have now are far to short of feelings, an isnurance company that is supposed to help people in a time of need, WHAT A FARSE believe me there is no caring there.