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The Canadian Press (CP)
VICTORIA - The B.C. government introduced amendments Wednesday to its new firefighter cancer-hazard law to include the thousands of volunteer firefighters in the province.
The B.C. government introduced legislation last month that recognized cancer as one of the many hazards firefighters face while on the job.
Labour Minister Mike de Jong said Bill 11 changes the Workers Compensation Act to make it easier for a firefighter with cancer to receive compensation benefits.
The law put the burden of proof on the employer to establish why a cancer-stricken firefighter should not be eligible for compensation rather than requiring the firefighter to prove the case, he said.
But almost immediately after the introduction of the legislation on October 31, volunteer firefighters and the Opposition New Democrats said the law should also cover volunteer firefighters.
De Jong agreed and introduced the amendments to cover the estimated 11,000 volunteer firefighters in British Columbia.
“The key amendment is the legislation is all inclusive for all firefighters of all levels,” said Richard Lawrie, Fire Chiefs’ Association of B.C. president. “The legislation now says firefighters are covered by cancer presumption. That’s the positive news.”
NDP labour critic Chuck Puchmayr said the Opposition will support legislation that recognizes what firefighters want, especially those serving rural communities.
The law applies to firefighters who became disabled from cancer on or after April 11, 2005.
The B.C. law names brain, bladder, kidney, uretor and colorectal cancer as occupational hazards for firefighters. It also names leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Prior to the law being introduced, firefighters were forced to attempt to prove to the compensation board their cancers were work related.
There are an estimated 4,000 professional firefighters in British Columbia.
British Columbia became Canada’s fifth province to offer some form of cancer-protection law for its firefighters, joining Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nova Scotia.
It joins Manitoba and Nova Scotia by offering cancer-hazard presumption to volunteer firefighters.