Vince McKay, Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, issued the following statement today after legislation to strengthen presumptive coverage for firefighters and first responders was introduced in the Legislative Assembly.

“Firefighters and first responders are there for Northerners during some of the most difficult moments people and communities will ever face.

They respond to fires, accidents, medical emergencies, dangerous situations and traumatic events. They do this work with courage and commitment, and they carry risks that do not always end when the call is over.

I spent 30 years with the Hay River Fire Department. I know what it means to answer a call, and I know these jobs can stay with people long after the emergency is over. The people who step forward to protect our communities deserve to know support will be there when they need it.

As Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, I introduced legislation today that would expand and modernize presumptive coverage protections for firefighters and first responders in the Northwest Territories.

Presumptive coverage means certain illnesses or injuries are presumed to be work-related when the worker meets the requirements set out in legislation or regulation. This helps reduce the burden on workers and families by removing the need to first prove a direct connection between the worker’s job and their diagnosis.

The Workers’ Compensation Act currently provides presumptive coverage for firefighters for 14 types of cancer, as well as cardiac arrest in limited circumstances. It does not currently include presumptive coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, for firefighters or first responders.

If passed, this legislation would:

1. Expand presumptive cancer coverage for firefighters from 14 cancers to 27 cancers, with coverage prescribed through regulation. This would put the Northwest Territories among the leading jurisdictions in Canada for presumptive cancer coverage for firefighters.
2. Expand presumptive coverage for firefighters to include more heart-related conditions, including heart disease and heart injury, and broaden the definition of firefighter to include workers involved in fire inspection and investigation.
3. Introduce presumptive PTSD coverage for frontline and emergency-response workers, including continuing care assistants, correctional officers, sheriffs, emergency-response dispatchers, firefighters, nurses, paramedics, territorial police officers, and members of search and rescue organizations.

These changes recognize that emergency response work can affect workers in different ways, including physically and psychologically, and that those impacts can appear right away or years later. When a worker is diagnosed with a serious illness or injury connected to this work, they should be able to focus on their health, recovery and family, not on unnecessary barriers to accessing support.

When Bill 29 did not move forward, I committed to bringing forward a government-led approach to strengthen presumptive coverage for firefighters and first responders. With this legislation, we are following through on that commitment.

I supported the principle behind Bill 29, and I want to acknowledge the advocacy that helped bring this issue forward. Firefighters, first responders, MLAs, families and people across the territory have made clear why this work matters.

Legislation of this kind needs to be comprehensive, legally sound, financially sustainable and built to work within the Northwest Territories’ workers’ compensation system. This proposal builds on work undertaken by the WSCC, public discussion around Bill 29, stakeholder input, and the review completed by the Standing Committee on Government Operations.

There will be further opportunity for review and discussion as the bill moves through the Legislative Assembly. I look forward to that work and to continuing to listen to firefighters, first responders, MLAs, families and residents.

This legislation is an important step toward stronger, clearer and more modern protections for firefighters and first responders in the Northwest Territories.

It is also one more way we can show the people who protect our communities that their service is valued, their health matters, and their government is committed to getting this right.”

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Cabinet Communications
Government of the Northwest Territories
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