Saskatchewan expands WCB coverage for firefighters

Beginning Nov. 15, professional and volunteer firefighters in Saskatchewan will be able to access workers’ compensation coverage for six additional cancers. (Adobe Stock)

Beginning Nov. 15, professional and volunteer firefighters in Saskatchewan will be able to access workers’ compensation coverage (WCB) for six additional cancers.

The amendments — announced last December — add prostate, skin, breast, cervical and ovarian cancer, as well as multiple myeloma, to the list of occupational diseases with presumptive coverage for firefighters.

“We value the work that our firefighters do and continue to do every day to keep the province safe,” Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Don Morgan said in a news release. “We know the risks that they face and want to continue to provide the supports they need by updating and expanding their WCB coverage.”

Saskatchewan Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association president Lloyd Zwack thanked the province for its commitment to firefighters by way of presumptive coverage.

Presumptive coverage means that if a firefighter is diagnosed with a disease, it is presumed the disease is related to their work, according to the government.

With this amendment, Saskatchewan now has presumptive coverage for 15 forms of cancer for firefighters as well as heart injury.

Alongside the new coverage, an amendment enables WCB claimants to access their entire claim file.

To apply for workers’ compensation, applicants need to provide a diagnosis and other required information from a medical professional to support their claim.