Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Governance Council must continue to show leadership and commitment, as it demonstrated in its appearance before committee in June, to improving the policy development process, and in particular resolving difficult issues such as chronic pain and pre-existing conditions. The council should not be afraid to break new ground and try made-in-the-north solutions where approaches borrowed from other jurisdictions do not work.

The council should also continue its work to improve accountability, for example, by developing its external reporting as well as its internal balanced scorecard. In the area of risk management, we encourage the council to expand its efforts to prepare for a Mackenzie gas project beyond reviewing the rate structure to, for example, looking at the adequacy of its policies to deal with the types of injuries and issues that are likely to come with such a mega project.

Following our discussion with members of the WCB administration, the committee was concerned that management may not fully appreciate the need for substantive changes to the way the board deals with claimants. For example, one member of the management team admitted that due to turnover and operational requirements, some training takes place on the job. This is not acceptable. It is essential that all claims staff receive sensitivity and customer service training. Further, this training should be provided by outsiders who can provide a fresh perspective and experience from other organizations.

Plain language communication is another area that requires improvement, and the committee welcomed the administration's commitment to progress on this front. We encourage the WCB to look not only at the letters it sends out to claimants, but also at developing plain language versions of at least the most commonly used policies.

At the time of our June hearings, the Governance Council and board had not yet had the opportunity to develop a work plan for addressing the Auditor General's recommendations, and advised us that they were working on a draft protocol for communications with the Minister and Legislative Assembly. The committee looks forward to reviewing both the work plan and the draft protocol in the coming months. The committee will also consider making a regular practice of conducting public hearings on the annual reports tabled by the WCB, Appeals Tribunal and workers' advisor in order to keep the lines of communication open as we work toward a more effective workers' compensation system.

Recommendation

The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight recommends the Minister ensure the Governance Council and Workers' Compensation Board administration complete a draft communications protocol and an action plan to address the Auditor General's recommendations, and forward these to the committee by the end of 2006.

The committee was pleased to hear that the Appeals Tribunal is developing its own website and is looking for a location outside of the WCB's offices. The actual and perceived independence of the tribunal from the board is essential to its credibility and performance. The committee encourages the tribunal to work on developing performance measures which will help it to become more accountable to the public.

Recommendation

The standing committee recommends that the Minister locate the Appeals Tribunal offices separate and apart from the board and that this relocation be undertaken as an immediate priority.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to refer to Mr. Ramsay to continue. Thank you.