The mother of one of the Chief William Saulis crewmembers is fighting for her son to be given the same treatment as the rest of the crew.
Because he had no spouse or dependents, Aaron Cogswell’s family has not received his $15,000 accidental death benefit from the Worker’s Compensation Board.
Cogswell’s mother, Lori Cogswell Phillips, says that the money is not the most important thing.
“I could qualify for five years worth of monthly checks to make up for what he was spending in the house, but it’s not about the money,” said Phillips. “It’s about each and every one of those people that died doing the same thing and WCB put the price on their head because of their marital/family status.”
She says her grief is just as valid.
“You can’t tell me that a wife’s pain is greater than a mother’s pain,” said Phillips. “We all grieve but there is a different kind of grief. You can’t tell me that somebody is worthless because they don’t have a family. My son was autistic. He would have loved to have had a family. He would have loved to have had a wife and kids that could benefit from it, but he didn’t.”
Phillips reached out to Kings North MLA, John Lohr, who has brought the issue to MLA Lena Diab, the minister responsible for the Workers’ Compensation Act.
The Chief Williams Saulis scallop dragger sank in rough seas on December 15th last year. Cogswell was one of six men aboard the vessel when it went down.
