Regina, Sask., May 15, 2024 – This year marks the WCB’s 26th annual Compensation Institute, which is being held in Regina at the Conexus Arts Centre. The conference provides a platform for dialogue to assist workers and employers navigate the province’s workers’ compensation system. Compensation Institute is a free event hosted by WCB leadership and staff, with nearly 600 expected to attend in person and virtually.
For more than two decades, the WCB has used its Compensation Institute event as a platform to share about the province’s compensation system and the workplace health, safety and well-being efforts of the prevention team.
“WCB staff host the event annually in rotation in Saskatoon and Regina each year, sharing topics determined by feedback from customers and previous years’ attendees,” says Kevin Mooney, the WCB’s vice-president of prevention and employer services. “This year, we are returning to our Compensation Institute roots with a platform for Saskatchewan workers and employers to discuss and better understand WCB processes, policies and procedures.”
Conference topics featuring WCB leaders and staff will include:
- What to do if you have an injury claim.
- What you need to know about how rates are set.
- What to do if you have an appeal and how the Fair Practices Office can support you.
Every year, the WCB features workers impacted by workplace incidents. This year, three keynote speakers will share their inspiring stories of resilience and hope.
At this year’s conference, participants will hear from a range of presenters, including:
- Steve Howe, who has more than 18 years in the construction industry, understands the hazards faced by workers daily and why safety is often viewed as an impedance. In the spring of 2006, while working as a young tree faller on the Sea to Sky Highway project in British Columbia, Howe suffered an unimaginable injury. Despite the feeling that something wasn’t right that morning, Howe pushed forward – as many would – to get the job done.
- Jeff Reeder, an 18-year veteran with the Prince Albert Fire Department, developed post-traumatic stress disorder after he and his wife were in a motor vehicle collision.
- Teresa Walker, based out of Saskatoon, will focus on the power of the moment. Through her own personal journey of learning and experiences in life, she came to understand that it is about a string of moments and the personal choice of having the tools and being able to use them.
“Our vision at the WCB is to eliminate injuries and restore abilities. Our Compensation Institute event is one way that we dialogue with our customers and provide them with even more resources to take back to their workplaces on WCB processes, as well as practical injury prevention tools and practices,” says Mooney. “Together and through the exchange of best practices and experiences, we can keep making workplaces around the province safer every year.”
A complete agenda is available online at wcbsask.com/events/compensation-institute-2024. Photos are available upon request.