Before You Do Anything Else

  • Don't call just to "talk it through" with no notes.
  • Don't agree to anything on the phone you don't understand.
  • Don't send a rage email you can't walk back.

Do this first:

  1. Save a copy of whatever they sent (photo, screenshot, PDF).
  2. Write the date, what they decided, and how it hits you (lost income, treatment, job).
  3. Take 10 minutes on this site to figure out what kind of bullshit it is – ignored evidence, contradictory decisions, retaliation, "our records show," etc.

You're not overreacting. You're buying yourself time to respond with strategy, not just pain.

Tactical Strategy: Pressure Points

Pick the pattern that matches what's happening to you and hit back with their own rules.

Evidence & Reasons

Anytime WorkSafeBC ignores your doctor or physio, leans only on a 'Board doctor' you've never met, declares your injury 'resolved' while your reports say otherwise, or refuses to explain why they believed one piece of evidence and ignored another.

You're entitled to:

  • Have relevant evidence considered
  • Know what evidence they relied on
  • Know why they preferred one opinion over another

Phrases to use:

  • "What evidence did you rely on to decide that my condition is resolved?"
  • "How did you resolve the difference between your medical advisor's opinion and my treating doctor's opinion?"
  • "Can you please list the medical reports you considered, and explain the weight you gave to each?"

Return-to-Work & Employer Cooperation

You're injured and want/need to go back to work, but your employer is ignoring your restrictions, not offering modified duties, showing hostility, or WorkSafeBC is doing nothing while your RTW falls apart.

Phrases to use:

  • "What specific steps have been taken to work with my employer on a return-to-work plan?"
  • "Has my employer been reminded of their duty to cooperate in returning me to work?"
  • "Can I see the documented return-to-work plan you've agreed on with my employer?"

Retaliation / Prohibited Action

Examples: You report an injury and suddenly your hours are cut, you complain about safety and your job disappears, you file a claim and your boss starts icing you out or threatening you.

Phrases to use:

  • "I believe I am experiencing retaliation related to my injury/claim. Has this been logged as a prohibited action complaint? If so, what is the complaint number?"
  • "If it has not been logged, please confirm how I can file a prohibited action complaint and whether your office will do so based on the information I've already provided."

"Your Records Are Wrong"

You hear lines like: 'Our records show you haven't contacted [office],' 'Our records don't show that you raised that complaint,' 'There is no record of that email/call.' But you have screenshots, emails, voicemails, call logs.

Phrases to use:

  • "Your records appear to be incorrect. On [date], [office/person] contacted me/I contacted them. Attached is [screenshot/voicemail/email] showing this. Please: 1. Confirm that your records will be corrected; and 2. Explain how this discrepancy occurred."

"We Don't Do Oversight"

When MLAs or Minister offices refuse to exercise their oversight responsibilities and hide behind 'we can't interfere with WorkSafeBC.'

Phrases to use:

  • "I am not asking you to personally adjudicate my claim. I am reporting behaviour by WorkSafeBC that appears systemic."
  • "This is not only a constituency service issue; it is an oversight issue. I am asking whether you will exercise your oversight role over a provincial agency."

Broken Promises & 'Legitimate Expectations'

When officials promise specific actions but never follow through, creating reasonable expectations that aren't met.

Phrases to use:

  • "On [date], your office wrote that [quote the promise]. That created a clear expectation that this process would go ahead. Could you please confirm whether this action was completed, and if not, explain when and why the decision was changed?"
  • "I would like to record your position accurately regarding your oversight responsibilities."