2016 Bill 59

	59


First Session, 48th General Assembly 65 Elizabeth II, 2016
BILL 59
AN ACT TO AMEND THE WORKPLACE HEALTH, SAFETY AND COMPENSATION ACT
Received and Read the First Time.................................................................................................
Second Reading.................................................................................................................................
Committee..........................................................................................................................................
Third Reading.....................................................................................................................................
Royal Assent......................................................................................................................................
HONOURABLE EDDIE JOYCE Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador and Minister Responsible for WorkplaceNL
Ordered to be printed by the Honourable House of Assembly

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Bill would amend the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Act to include presumptive cancer coverage for firefighters and volunteer firefighters.

A BILL

AN ACT TO AMEND THE WORKPLACE HEALTH, SAFETY AND COMPENSATION ACT

Analysis

1. Part VII.1 Added

PART VII.1
PRESUMPTION RESPECTING FIREFIGHTERS AND VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS

              92.1                       Definitions
92.2                       Presumption
92.3                       Medical aid
92.4                       Application
92.5                       Regulations

2. Commencement

Be it enacted by the Lieutenant-Governor and House of Assembly in Legislative Session convened, as follows:

RSNL1990 cW-11
as amended

1. The Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Act is amended by adding immediately after section 92 the following:

PART VII.1
PRESUMPTION RESPECTING FIREFIGHTERS AND VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS

Definitions

92.1 In this Part

(a) "fire department" means a fire department organized under the Municipalities Act, 1999, the City of St. John's Act, the City of Corner Brook Act and the Regional Service Boards Act, 2012 and also includes a fire department established by an Inuit Community Government under the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement Act;

(b) "fire and emergency services employee" means a person employed with the department responsible for fire and emergency services and whose duties include

(i) investigating the cause, origin or circumstances of fires,

(ii) firefighting, or

(iii) delivering fire investigation or firefighting training;

(i) a member of a fire department,

(ii) a member of an industrial fire department, or

(iii) a fire and emergency services employee;

(d) "industrial fire department" means an organization established by an employer to protect the employer's premises where the nature of the employer's business creates specific hazards for which specialized firefighting training or equipment is required;

(e) "listed disease" means

(i) a primary site brain cancer,

(ii) a primary site bladder cancer,

(iii) a primary site colorectal cancer,

(iv) a primary site esophageal cancer,

(v) a primary leukemia,

(vi) a primary site lung cancer,

(vii) a primary site kidney cancer,

(viii) a primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma,

(ix) a primary site testicular cancer,

(x) a primary site ureter cancer, or

(xi) a primary site breast cancer; and

(f) "volunteer firefighter" means a volunteer member of a fire department or brigade admitted by the commission under section 15 of the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Regulations and considered to be a worker.

Presumption

92.2 (1) Where a worker who is or has been a firefighter or a volunteer firefighter is diagnosed with a listed disease and is as a result disabled or his or her death caused by a listed disease,

(a) the listed disease is presumed to be due to the nature of his or her employment as a firefighter or volunteer firefighter unless there is evidence to the contrary; and

(b) the worker or his or her dependents are entitled to compensation as if the disease were an injury and the date of disablement were the date of injury.

(2) The presumption in subsection (1) applies to a worker

(a) who has been a firefighter or a volunteer firefighter for at least the cumulative period of service prescribed in the regulations; and

(b) who has been regularly exposed to the hazards of a fire scene, other than a forest fire scene, throughout that period.

(3) In addition to the requirements in subsection (2), the presumption for primary site lung cancer applies only to a firefighter or volunteer firefighter who has not smoked a tobacco product in the 10 years immediately before the date of the diagnosis.

(4) Notwithstanding subsection (1), the presumption for primary site colorectal cancer does not apply to a firefighter or volunteer firefighter who is diagnosed with primary site colorectal cancer after the age of 61.

Medical aid

92.3 (1) There is no entitlement to medical aid under this Part in respect of a firefighter or volunteer firefighter diagnosed with a listed disease where the medical aid is a service insured under the Medical Care and Hospital Insurance Act, the Hospital Insurance Regulations and the Medical Care Insurance Insured Services Regulations.

(2) Nothing in subsection (1) affects the commission's authority under this Act to request information, records and reports and to provide payment for them as authorized by this Act.

Application

92.4 The presumption in section 92.2 applies to

(a) a firefighter who is diagnosed with a listed disease on or after December 14, 2015; and

(b) a volunteer firefighter who is diagnosed with a listed disease after the coming into force of this Part.

Regulations

92.5 The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may make regulations

(a) prescribing the cumulative period of service for the purposes of paragraph 92.2(2)(a);

(b) prescribing the documents, books and records that may be required by the commission respecting firefighters and volunteer firefighters; and

Commencement

2. This Act comes into force on January 1, 2017.