The provincial government has introduced amendments to the Workers’ Compensation Act which if passed would mean presumptive cancer coverage available to wildland firefighters. Minister Responsible for the Workers’ Compensation Board, Jim Reiter, says last March legislation was passed which provides coverage for firefighters for 22 types of cancer. With this amendment that same coverage would be extended to wildland firefighters.

Additional amendments would provide voluntary coverage, subject to approval from the Workers’ Compensation Board to Saskatchewan employers whose staff work out-of-province.