Northern News Services

/Fort Smith (May 13/02) - After Bruce Gordier hurt his knee working as a diamond driller's helper, he turned to the Workers' Compensation Board. Now, he wants to use his experience as a director.

Bruce Gordier displays more than 500 signatures he has gathered in Fort Smith supporting his bid to be appointed to the Workers' Compensation Board of the NWT and Nunavut. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

As a former long-term claimant of the workers' compensation system, Bruce Gordier believes he has a valuable perspective to offer.

He wants to be appointed to the vacant position on the board of directors of the Workers' Compensation Board of the NWT and Nunavut.

But Joe Handley, the NWT minister who will actually make the appointment, is not so sure board members necessarily need to be former claimants.

In fact, Handley says, whether or not a person has been a claimant is not even a question he would ask a nominee.

Gordier was a WCB claimant for four and a half years after injuring his knee working as a diamond driller's helper.

"I feel somebody previously injured should be sitting on the board," he says, explaining that would allow the board to hear the point of view of a long-term claimant.

"I know the way the WCB works and their policies," he adds.

Although he is not certain, he thinks he would be the first long-term claimant to sit on the board.

A spokesperson for the WCB says there is a current board member who has been on workers' compensation. However, any further information, such as the length of time the person was on compensation, is confidential.

Gordier says there are some things he would like to change about the WCB system. In particular, he notes the appeals tribunal process can take one to two years, and in his case took a year. "That's one thing I'd like to try to change."

He appealed the amount of financial assistance he received from the WCB, and lost.

Plus, he says he registered numerous complaints against the system.

Following his work-related injury, Gordier is no longer employed as a diamond driller. "I can't do that type of work, anymore."

His injury left him permanently disabled. The cartilage in his knee has deteriorated and he also has arthritis in the joint. Now he has to wear a knee brace.

Handley says he doesn't know if a long-term claimant is currently on the WCB board, explaining such information about a person is confidential.

"We don't ever ask that question," he notes.

The minister likens it to someone seeking a position on the board of Stanton Hospital, and being asked if he or she was ever a patient.

"It would make people very uncomfortable and I'm not sure we would gain a lot," he says, explaining not everyone would be willing to divulge the information.

Ways to provide input

Handley also points out there are currently a number of ways for claimants to provide input to the minister and the board. One is a worker adviser position, while the other is a workers' coalition group.

"Having a coalition is a more balanced way of getting representation," he says.

That's because a single claimant with specific experience would have a very narrow knowledge of how the WCB operates, he says.

Handley notes the current opening on the board is for an employers' representative.

To ensure geographical balance on the board, the person should be from outside Yellowknife, he says.

Since there is only one woman currently on the board, the minister also hopes to promote gender balance by appointing a woman. And, noting the WCB is a multimillion-dollar operation, he also thinks it would be good if the candidate has a financial or accounting background.

There are three categories on the WCB's board of directors: representatives of workers; employers; and the public interest.

His intention is to make a decision before the end of May.

As for Kelvin Ng, the Nunavut minister responsible for the WCB, he says it wouldn't hurt to have a former long-term claimant on the board of directors.

"Obviously, individuals who have received service have an intimate knowledge of things," Ng says.

However, like Handley, Ng is not sure if any members of the current board have been long-term claimants.

The NWT appoints five members to the board, and Nunavut names two.

Gordier's years on compensation, which included over two years of physiotherapy, ended in March.

While on compensation, he also took management studies at Aurora College in Fort Smith, although he did not finish the course because of an illness in his family.

The 38-year-old is now the part-time executive director of the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce, and operates his own small business.

His personal campaign to get appointed to the board has included collecting more than 500 signatures of support in Fort Smith.