Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC)



IAIABC: Please provide an organizational overview (number of employees, years in business, vision)

Cheryl Tucker, CEO, AWCBC: 

  • Employees:
    • Five permanent employees
  • Years in Business:
    •  Over 100 years in existence. The Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC) was founded in 1919 as a non-profit organization to facilitate the exchange of information between Workers’ Compensation Boards and Commissions.
  • Where we do business:
    •  The Association serves all 12 provincial and territorial member boards and commissions across Canada. The head office is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  • Vision: 
    • AWCBC is the trusted, centralized information source for workers’ compensation data, trends, and issues in Canada. 
  • Mission:
    • Through excellent data collection and analysis, shared knowledge, education, and networking, AWCBC supports its members in sustaining strong and viable workers’ compensation systems throughout Canada. 
  • Motto:
    • Connecting Members, Advancing Knowledge

IAIABC: How does your organization serve the workers’ compensation industry? 

CT: We serve the industry by sharing best practices, facilitating collaboration and knowledge exchange, and acting as the national liaison connecting all 12 provincial and territorial member boards and commissions.

As the centralized source of information related to workers' compensation in Canada, we provide critical data through programs like the Key Statistical Measures (KSMs), and the National Work Injury Statistics Program (NWISP) which collects and disseminates statistics on work-related injuries, diseases, and fatalities, thereby informing policy and improving workplace safety. 

 Access the AWCBC member brochure for more details

IAIABC: What do you see as some of the major challenges the industry is facing, and how can we as a community address them? 

CT: One of the significant challenges facing our industry is adapting to evolving workplace environments and emerging occupational health issues. Technological advancements, changing workplace dynamics, mental health concerns, and new forms of work create complex challenges in injury prevention and rehabilitation, posing both opportunities and risks. As a community, we must collaborate to share innovative solutions to common issues and increase our usage of data analytics to aid predictive outcomes.

IAIABC: Are there any projects/programs/initiatives going on at your organization that you are particularly excited or enthusiastic about?“we aim to provide deeper insights into workplace injuries and fatalities, thereby helping to formulate more effective prevention and return-to-work strategies.”

CT: The initiative we are enthusiastic about is the digital transformation of our national workplace injury statistics data warehouse. This three-year undertaking will completely modernize our legacy system including the enhancement of business intelligence tools. By improving data collection methods and expanding the scope of our statistical data submissions and analysis, we aim to provide deeper insights into workplace injuries and fatalities, thereby helping to formulate more effective prevention and return-to-work strategies.

IAIABC: What's an interesting fact about your organization that most people don't know?

CT: The AWCBC is the only organization in Canada to collect, maintain and disseminate workplace injury, illness and fatality statistics. This important work was taken over from Statistics Canada in the mid-1990s.

AWCBC Staff
AWCBC Staff Members

IAIABC: Why is your organization a member of the IAIABC? What would you tell others about the benefits of membership?

CT: A strategic priority in the AWCBC Strategic Plan 2023-2026 calls for enhancement of the proactive identification of emerging issues, innovation, and benchmarking with national and international workers’ compensation agencies. It also aims to strengthen communications with international counterparts to expand information networks and to track new research and trends.

Membership in IAIABC is a great opportunity to garner such intelligence in a centralized forum. The benefits of membership also include making international contacts and learning from colleagues/organizations doing similar work and addressing similar challenges.