In a precedent-setting case, a Toronto mom denied sickness benefits after contracting breast cancer while on mat leave has won her appeal.
"It's not about the money," clamed 39-year-old Natalya Rougas. "It’s about being turned down when you know it’s not right."
Rougas, a marketing coordinator, was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer just weeks before her parental leave expired in January 2010.
Assuming she wouldn't be able to return to work as planned, she applied for Employment Insurance (EI) which entitles pregnant women and new mothers who fall ill to 15 weeks of sickness benefits on top of the 50 weeks of combined maternal/parental benefits.
But EI rejected her claim on the basis that she wasn't available to work due to her maternity leave status. Her appeal to an independent tribunal was also dismissed.
She then approached her MP, Carolyn Bennett, who introduced her to employment lawyer, Stephen Moreau, who agreed to represent her pro bono before an independent arbitrator.
“When I examined the law, it was clear to me that there was something clearly amiss,” Moreau said. “The bureaucrats were not interpreting the law in the way in which Parliament had intended.”
As if enduring six months of chemotherapy and a double mastectomy wasn't enough, Rougas simultaneously fought against the feds.
Set to receive the maximum sick benefits, totalling around $6,000 or $400 a week, her battle appears to have paid off.
Rougas insists her victory is for "other women too”. Moreau believes between 3,000 and 4,000 women a year could be affected.
According to Justice R.J. Marin, who served as the EI umpire, while the ruling wouldn't exactly open the floodgates, it would offer "minimum comfort and solace to a small, hard hit sector of society which already qualified for special benefits.”
Hear, hear to Rougas, one brave and determined mama!
You've seen it on your sidebars for as long as you can remember, like Google's own wallpaper. If you thought the "tiny belly" ads sounded suspect, you were right on. The U.S. government has finally shut down the billion-dollar diet scam.
The ubiquitous “1 Tip for a Tiny Belly” which may have sounded appealing, particularly to the yummy mummies out there, literally popped up everywhere, promising to reveal the secret to rid you of your baby bulge once and for all.
“Nearly everything about these sites is a fake,” claimed the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
Hopefuls were led to fake sites with equally fake endorsements from well-known news organizations. According to the FTC, “The photographs of the reporters are copied from legitimate news sources. The comments are cut and pasted from other, similarly fake sites."
The site promised "free samples". The catch? The samples follow a first instalment of an expensive monthly shipment automatically deducted from the buyer’s credit card.
Tiny Belly's weight-loss claims, such as 'lose 25 pounds in four weeks', weren't only false but impossible to achieve. The Google ads appeared on numerous sites, including the Toronto Star’s Heathzone.
One of ten such affiliated sites is run by Calgarian Jesse Willms, who is currently being sued by the FTC.
“Our companies give consumers the opportunity to buy a variety of products and services at significant savings,” said Willms, whose company is alleged to have earned $450 million through “unfair and deceptive” sales.
Last year, on one of the sites sued, the Tiny Belly ads generated more than a billion impressions. If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is.
Kidiway's "Mini-Tammy" cribs have been recalled due to inaccurate instructions which may prevent consumers from assembling the cribs properly, thereby posing a safety risk. The models are as follows:
- Mini-Tammy Fireside (820571001721)
- Mini-Tammy Java (820571001530)
- Mini-Tammy Blanc (820571011010)
Although there have been no reports of incidents or injuries related to the use of these cribs, consumers are advised to contact Kidiway immediately for a free product replacement and in the meantime, find an alternate safe sleeping environment for their baby.
For more information, consumers can reach Kidiway at 1-514-858-6336.
Between August 2010 to June 2011, approximately 225 of the recalled cribs were sold at Bô-Bébé in Quebec and at The Baby's Palace retail stores in Ontario.
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