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Fractured Promises: Mental Health and the Human Cost of Ontario’s Workers’ Compensation System to the Workers

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The TBDIWSG has a partnership with the Bora Laskin Law School at Lakehead University.

Each year, we have 2 or 3 law students volunteer with us as part of the Probono Students Canada program. They learn about the workers compensation system and do independent research looking into specific aspects of the system.

In 2025-2026 school year, three students focused on mental health among injured and disabled workers and how the workers compensation system can cause stress and mental illness. They completed a report based on their research.  We sent a copy of the report to every MPP in Ontario.

From the Introduction of the report.

Injured workers face significant challenges at the hands of the Workplace Safety and

Insurance Board (WSIB) and the prevailing legislation regulating their compensation, return to work time, and quality of life post-injury.


The current system not only impacts workers and their livelihoods, but additionally their mental health. The chain reaction caused by insufficient treatment has detrimental impacts.

The WSIB process can be difficult to navigate for many injured workers.

Accessibility and workplace stigma may prevent individuals from filing their claims, alienating them from the resources they are entitled to.

Those who are able to struggle through the process may conclude that the benefits are not worth the effort, as the compensation provided does not amount to enough for a decent quality of life.

This subsequently leads to a detriment in their mental state. Feelings of internal blame, worthlessness, heartbreak, and helplessness encompass the individual, in addition to the grief they may still be processing due to their injury.

They can become disconnected from family, friends, and coworkers, leading them on a path to isolation.

The life they once knew is changed forever once the injury occurs, and without the proper support and resources in place, it becomes difficult to emerge from the incident unscathed, physically or mentally.

Click here for the report and infographic.