Following last month's announcement by the province that firefighters who fought in the 2016 Fort McMurray and Horse River wildfires and subsequently were diagnosed with certain occupation cancers would receive easier access to workers’ compensation benefits; the government has made another announcement regarding expanding increased presumptive cancer coverage.
Previously, the Workers' Compensation Act (Firefighters Primary Site Cancer Regulation) enumerated 16 different types of cancers which qualified for presumptive coverage, though the minimum period of regular exposure to the hazards of a fire scene varied from five years (Primary leukemia) to 25 years (Primary site esophageal cancer).
Now, the province has expanded that list to cover 20 different cancers, while also reducing the exposure time requirement for cancers already on the list. The Firefighters’ Primary Site Cancer Regulation now includes pancreatic, thyroid, mesothelioma and soft tissue sarcoma cancers as eligible for workers’ compensation presumptions. The existing minimum exposure period for colorectal cancer is reduced to 15 years from 20.
"With 20 cancers on its presumption list, Alberta has listed more than any other province or territory and is the only Canadian jurisdiction that includes soft tissue sarcoma," the province said in a press release last week.
Matt Osborne, President of the Alberta Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics Association commended the province on the announcement.
"Research shows the profession of firefighting is carcinogenic to humans. When buildings burn, it is a toxic soup of chemicals. Firefighters and their families greatly appreciate the Government of Alberta adding these needed WCB coverages. Alberta is now leading Canada again in the number of presumptive cancers covered.”
In the days leading up to the passage of the new legislation regarding firefighters who participated in the Fort McMurray wildfires, the NDP criticized the province, saying that the amendments should be more far-reaching and retroactive. According to the NDP, the party's Labour Critic, Christina Gray, attempted to amend the Act to provide retroactive WCB coverage for all firefighters who battled the 2016 fire and who later develop cancer.
"The current UCP bill only provides presumptive coverage to people who have not yet filed a claim and provides no help to firefighters or their surviving families, who are already locked in lengthy disputes with the WCB," the NDP stated in a press release.
According to statistics provided by the government, between 2017 and 2022, there were 177 workers’ compensation claims by firefighters for cancers listed in the regulation. The Workers’ Compensation Board accepted 84 per cent of these claims.
The expanded Primary Site Cancer Regulation applies to full-time, part-time and volunteer firefighters employed by a municipality or Metis Settlement who are exposed to fire scene hazards, excluding forest fires.
There are more than 14,000 firefighters in Alberta, about 80 per cent of whom are volunteers.
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