Stephen (Steve) Mantis was born in 1950 in Reading, Pennsylvania, and immigrated to Canada in 1972. After settling near Thunder Bay, Ontario, Mantis worked as a carpenter and established his own construction company. A workplace injury in 1978 resulted in the loss of his left arm. Employment in vocational rehabilitation followed, including work as an employment services manager with the Ontario March of Dimes.
Mantis founded the Thunder Bay Injured Workers Support Group in 1984. Further organizational work led to the establishment of the Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups and the Canadian Injured Workers Alliance (CIWA), the latter formed following the 1990 National Conference on Re-Employment of Injured Workers. Mantis served as CIWA’s national coordinator from 1996 to 2002, working to build collaboration among provincial groups and trade unions. From 1991 to 1994, Mantis was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Ontario Workers’ Compensation Board.
Additional public service included membership on local roads boards and representation of rural residents on the Lakehead Planning Board. Later efforts focused on education and social inclusion through the creation of the Speakers School in Thunder Bay, a program designed to support civic engagement among marginalized populations, including people with disabilities, First Nations and Métis individuals, single parents, and those living in poverty.
Awards recognizing Mantis’s contributions include the Judge George Ferguson Award for advancing disability rights, the Ron Ellis Award for work in workers’ compensation law, the Credit Union Central of Ontario Social Responsibility Award, and the Canada 125th Anniversary Medal for service to the community and country.
Sources:
- Injured Workers Online. Steve. https://injuredworkersonline.org/stories/steve/
- CIWA. Our History. https://www.ciwa.ca/our-history/
- Steve Mantis. www.stevemantis.ca
- Lakehead Archives. Canadian Injured Workers Alliance fonds. https://archives.lakeheadu.ca/index.php/canadian-injured-workers-alliance-fonds
- Wikipedia. Steve Mantis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Mantis