Vince McKay, ministre responsable de la Commission de la sécurité au travail et de l’indemnisation des travailleurs (CSTIT), a fait la déclaration suivante aujourd’hui après l’adoption du projet de loi 48, Loi no 2 modifiant la Loi sur l’indemnisation des travailleurs, par l’Assemblée législative :

« Cette journée marque une étape importante dans l’amélioration du soutien offert aux personnes qui viennent en aide aux personnes des TNO qui en ont le plus besoin.

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Mr. Speaker, workers’ rights are a cornerstone of safe and healthy workplaces. Across Canada, workers have three fundamental rights: the right to know how to do their job safely, the right to participate in making their workplace safer, and, of course, the right to refuse any work that feels unsafe.

Vince McKay, ministre responsable de la Commission de la sécurité au travail et de l’indemnisation des travailleurs, a fait la déclaration suivante aujourd’hui après le dépôt, devant l’Assemblée législative, d’un projet de loi visant à renforcer la couverture désignée pour les pompiers et les premiers intervenants.

« Les pompiers et les premiers intervenants sont là pour notre population et nos collectivités dans certains des moments les plus difficiles auxquels elles seront jamais confrontées.

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Mr.  Speaker, today, I would like to address a topic that is fundamental to the well-being of all workers across the Northwest Territories; the critical importance of improving workplace safety. Ensuring that our workplaces are safe is essential for the health, productivity, and prosperity of our communities.

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Government of Canada provides disaster recovery funding to the Northwest Territories

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Mr. Speaker, the Workers’ Protection Fund provides no-fault insurance coverage for employers and benefits and care for workers in the event of a workplace injury.

All employers share the cost of this compensation system by making payments based on their assessable payroll, which is the amount of earnings they report for each worker, and the group rate for their industry.

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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand today and announce the appointment of Mr. Rick Hunt as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, effective yesterday October 2, 2023. This morning I met with Mr. Hunt and officially welcomed him to the position. 

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Mr. Speaker, the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission is always looking for new ways to support employers and create safer workplaces in the Northwest Territories.

Through ongoing communication and engagement with employers, the WSCC identified an opportunity to improve their services and provide additional supports for employers facing occupational health and safety challenges that is separate from their role as enforcer of the Safety Act through penalties and fines.

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The importance of workplace safety cannot be understated. The Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, or WSCC, works to emphasize this message in many ways, like through partnerships with organizations that share similar audiences and values.

One such organization is Skills Canada Northwest Territories, which the WSCC has an ongoing, multi-year partnership with. Their recent territorial Skills Competition and Career Expo provided an opportunity for direct engagement with NWT youth.

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Mr. Speaker, with the new year ahead of us, I am pleased to highlight the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission’s, or WSCC, new Strategic Plan, Paths Towards Safety
2023 – 2027, which is available for everyone to view on WSCC’s website.