From a release
NOVA SCOTIA: With new leadership, a new vision and improving and much more financial stability than ever before, WCB Nova Scotia is setting out to protect more Nova Scotians and more workplaces through a bold, ambitious and optimistic strategic plan that aims to become one of the top-performing WCBs in Canada by 2030.
WCB Nova Scotia’s vision is founded on three main pillars: Preventing workplace injury, supporting safe and healthy return to work when injury does occur, and providing exceptional service.
The WCB says achieving the ambitious goals under each pillar will be enabled by several key principles.
These include enabling and supporting its own workforce, a much more efficient use of technology, approaches that are defined by diversity, inclusion and accessibility, and strategic outreach and engagement of Nova Scotia’s many valuable voices in workers’ compensation and workplace safety.
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And, the WCB says, when it’s all accomplished, it will support a much-improved overall legislative, policy and appeal framework – and it will lead to a new perceived value in the WCB.
Developed by the WCB’s Board of Directors, the plan calls upon the WCB to protect Nova Scotians from the impact of workplace injury, in all its forms.
“Our board includes representatives from both the worker and employer communities, and we all stand behind this plan,” says board chair, Saeed El-Darahali. “It is what is needed at this time for the WCB, and for the province.”
He points to the recent changes to make gradual onset psychological injury compensable, and the improvement of funeral benefits, as just a couple of examples of the kind of change that’s needed in the system, for the better.
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El-Darahali says the visionary leadership and operational excellence of Karen Adams, who joined theo rganization in August as CEO, will drive the plan’s success.
“In a few short months, I’ve come to understand this province is full of people who want a better future,” Adams says.
“This plan is how we will do our part to make that future happen. It’s about a vision for the future where workers’ compensation provides the value Nova Scotians have come to expect.”
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Adams adds that she personally attended several consultation sessions for the ongoing public review of workers’ compensation, where she heard a lot about the need for service improvements.
She says the WCB looks forward to the results of the review, and to incorporating recommendations into the Protect More plan, for which improving service is a foundational pillar.
“We have work to do,” says Adams. “Our injury prevention performance is solid, but it takes too long for workers to achieve safe and timely return to work, and we need to improve our service.
“We help people every day in this province and most workers and employers are satisfied with our service. At the same time, we know we need to improve. This Strategic Plan will get us there.”
More information about WCB Nova Scotia’s roadmap to 2030 is available here.
