Firefighters in Ontario are set to get easier access to Workplace Safety and Insurance Board coverage for certain cancers.
Premier Doug Ford says firefighters and investigators make major sacrifices to keep communities, property and families safe and the province should always have their backs.
The government says firefighters die of cancer at a rate up to four times higher than the general population.
Among the changes announced today as part of upcoming legislation, firefighters with kidney cancer would receive presumptive coverage if they have worked as a firefighter for 10 years, down from the current 20-year requirement.
Presumptive coverage means a worker’s injury or disease is assumed to be work-related, which makes the claims process faster.
As well, the province is proposing to remove a requirement that a firefighter’s colorectal cancer diagnosis must be made before the age of 61.