The provincial government is moving ahead with amendments to the Workplace Health, Safety, and Compensation Act that will expand presumptive cancer and cardiac coverage for career and volunteer firefighters.
Presumptive cancer coverage means that if a firefighter is diagnosed with one of a list of presumptively covered cancers, they are presumed to have contracted it from their work as a firefighter unless evidence is shown to the contrary.
If approved, the legislation will expand coverage to include eight more cancers—prostate, multiple myeloma, cervical, ovarian, penile, pancreatic, thyroid and skin—as well as cardiac events that occur within 24 hours of a firefighter responding to an emergency.
The expanded coverage comes following a recommendation from a 2019 statutory review.