A message from Rebecca Hayes, fairness review officer

The Fair Process Review Centre (FPRC) is an independent office within WCB that reviews concerns related to administrative fairness from workers, their dependants and employers. In these cases, we examine the client’s experience through the lens of supporting fairness, accountability and continuous improvement.

In 2025, the FPRC received 268 inquiries, primarily from workers, and closed 235, including inquiries carried forward from the previous year.

Key themes in 2025

Two main themes emerged from fairness concerns raised to our office:

• Timeliness and quality of communication: Clients believed communication was delayed or didn’t believe their concern was appropriately addressed.
• Delays in the system: Clients perceived the pace of decision-making or procedural steps as slow.

Supporting our clients

Most of these resolutions were determined to be decision-related and best handled through the decision review process. When appropriate, the FPRC refers these clients to the advocacy services provided by the external Advisor Office for Alberta Workers’ Compensation.

In cases where concerns had not yet been raised with the appropriate operational levels, the FPRC worked with clients and WCB teams to clarify issues and achieve resolution.

When a client’s concerns remained unresolved after the first two stages, the FPRC conducted in-depth investigations to determine if fairness standards were met.

When service gaps were identified, we shared findings and recommendations with supervisors and managers to support learning and improvement. Recommendations were provided in seven cases and included explanatory letters and apologies to address these concerns.

At the conclusion of each investigation, we ensure clients are aware of their right to raise unresolved concerns to the Alberta Ombudsman, which is the final level of review for administrative fairness.