Ontario Expanding Cancer Coverage for Firefighters

The Ontario government has announced that it will be introducing regulatory amendments to expand cancer coverage for firefighters. The amendments to the Ontario Regulation 253/07 made under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997, will expand the list of presumptive illnesses to include certain cancers. The amendments will provide firefighters with access to compensation to support the recovery of thyroid and pancreatic cancers.

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board has recently identified both thyroid and pancreatic cancers as firefighting work-related causes.  According to statistics, firefighters are four times more likely to die of cancer than the general population in Canada. In Ontario, with occupational cancer as the primary cause, firefighters contribute up to 60 deaths per year.

Although standard practices require firefighting crews to take precautions with protective gear and breathing apparatuses, firefighters increase their risk of cancer each time they are exposed to significant burning toxins. The increased risk is often due to household items being made from hydrocarbon or polymer-type materials that become carcinogenic once burned. The toxicity of carcinogens comes from recent furnishings like plastics, resins, foams and coatings.

Recovery coverage will be retroactive to January 1, 1960. The coverage will be applicable to both active and retired firefighters. Those eligible will include full-time, volunteer, and part-time firefighters, firefighters employed by First Nations band councils, and fire investigators.