Author: Ben

Ben Barfett is an Alberta-based WCB advocate and disability management consultant with nearly a decade of experience working directly inside the workers' compensation system. He has successfully represented clients at the Appeals Commission, the Dispute Resolution and Decision Review Body, and other provincial tribunals across Western Canada — with a number of those decisions published on CanLII. Blue Collar Consulting serves both injured workers and employers across Alberta and Western Canada.

Off Work Sick or Injured in Alberta? Here’s What This Leave Actually Protects

LTD or Injury Leave in Alberta: What It Does — and What It Doesn’t A lot of Alberta workers assume that if they are too sick or injured to work, their employer has to keep paying them or hold their exact position indefinitely. That is not quite how it works. Alberta does provide a job-protected […]

WCB Benefits Cut at Age 65 — And Most Realize Until It’s Too Late

A Warning Every Alberta Worker Over 50 Needs to Read Right Now Every week, workers call our office in a state of shock. They’ve been living on WCB benefits, managing their injury, getting on with life — and then, out of nowhere, a letter arrives roughly six months before their 65th birthday informing them […]

Modified Work That Actually Works: A Practical Guide for Alberta Employers

WCB Alberta consistently emphasizes modified work as one of the most effective ways to control premiums. But when they say “create creative modified work opportunities,” what does that actually mean in practice? This guide breaks down what effective modified work looks like in Alberta workplaces, the practical challenges employers face when implementing it, and where […]