Murray Wood: Conservative floor crossers could hand Mark Carney a majority government
Murray Wood says Prime Minister Mark Carney is happily accepting floor crossers from the Conservatives, but maybe it's t...
Saskatchewan firefighters are about to get access to coverage for more illnesses through the Workers’ Compensation Board.
Starting Friday, six additional cancers — prostate, skin, breast, cervical, ovarian and multiple myeloma — are to be added to the list of occupational diseases with presumptive coverage for professional and volunteer firefighters in the province.
“We value the work that our firefighters do and continue to do every day to keep the province safe,” Don Morgan, Saskatchewan’s labour relations and workplace safety minister, said in a media release Tuesday.
“We know the risks that they face and want to continue to provide the supports they need by updating and expanding their WCB coverage.”
The amendments initially were announced in December.
“Presumptive coverage” means if a firefighter is diagnosed with a disease, it’s presumed that the illness is related to their work.
The change means Saskatchewan has presumptive coverage for 15 forms of cancer for firefighters, along with heart injury.
“We would like to thank the Government of Saskatchewan for providing some of the highest numbers of presumptive coverage for firefighters in the country,” Lloyd Zwack, the president of the Saskatchewan Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association, said in the release.
Half of the cancers being added only affect women, which the province said reflected changing demographics in Saskatchewan fire halls.
According to the government, those who want to apply for workers’ compensation must provide a diagnosis and other information from a medical professional to support the claim.
To learn more about the board and its processes, click here.
