Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 20/00) - A Yellowknife man who staged a protest outside the Workers' Compensation Board earlier this month is being investigated for fraud.

Michel De La Salle claimed he had not received fair compensation after he was injured on the job.

He has been diagnosed with bilateral epicondylitis, commonly known as tennis elbow, which affects the tendons, muscles and joint of the elbow.

De La Salle said he developed the injury from repetitively tearing down walls with a crowbar while working as a carpenter over the years.

He says he has been unable to work for nine months, and WCB has provided him with a little less than $5,000 for lost wages over that time.

A statement issued Wednesday by WCB states that since De La Salle went public with his protest "several individuals approached the WCB ... with allegations of fraudulent activity committed be Mr. De La Salle.

"The WCB investigates all allegations of fraud, not only to protect the integrity of the Accident Fund, but also to protect the injured worker in case the allegations prove not to be true" said the statement.

"Mr. De La Salle is still being investigated for fraud. Although the allegations are very serious, we do not wish to subject a claimant to undue scrutiny or jeopardize an ongoing investigation."

WCB would not release any information about the allegations.

De La Salle says he has nothing to hide. He said the launch of the investigation proves what he has been saying about the WCB all along.

"What I was talking about on the street, they're full of crap and they're not there for the worker ... since I insulted them because I spread the truth on the street, now this is their tactics," said De La Salle.

He admits that he did attempt to go back to work this past summer, but found he was in too much pain and unable to perform his duties. He did receive some wages for that work, but said he was not receiving benefits from WCB at that time.

"I didn't receive any WCB benefits until September," he said.

De La Salle said he is not at all worried about the investigation that has been launched against him.

"I'm not really worried about it," said De La Salle, who does not know any details of the allegations against him.

"I am not a criminal," he said.