News Briefs

B.C. recognizes firefighters’ lung cancer risk

Victoria — Lung cancer is being added to the list of cancers recognized as occupational diseases for firefighters in British Columbia. The province has introduced an amendment to its Workers’ Compensation Act to cover lung cancer for non-smokers that, if passed, will be retroactive to May 27, 2008. Full-time, volunteer, part-time and paid on-call firefighters would qualify for this coverage. In 2005, B.C. recognized certain cancers as occupational diseases for firefighters, including brain cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, ureter cancer, colorectal cancer, leukemia and testicular cancer.

Manitoba protects temp foreign workers

Winnipeg — Manitoba’s Worker Recruitment and Protection Act, now in force, is a model for the rest of the country in providing comprehensive and effective protection for temporary foreign workers, according to Nancy Allan, the province’s labour and immigration minister. The new legislation requires the licensing of all third-party recruiters and the registration of employers with the province before they can recruit a temporary foreign worker. Once employers are registered, they will receive direct assistance with recruitment and information on the range of services and programs available to support immigrants integrating into the workplace. The act also prohibits recruiters and employers from receiving or collecting a fee, directly or indirectly, from workers.

Saskatchewan workers earning more than ever

Regina — Average weekly earnings for workers in Saskatchewan broke through the $800-barrier for the first time in the province’s history in January, according to Statistics Canada. Average weekly earnings increased 6.3 per cent from January 2008 to January 2009 — nearly twice the national average of 3.2 per cent. The average earnings — $802.43 — were up 1.1 per cent from the previous month. Saskatchewanians have the third highest paycheques in the country, after Alberta and Ontario.

Labour mobility in full effect

Edmonton, Victoria — The labour mobility agreement between Alberta and British Columbia came into full force earlier this month. The Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) — which provides a blueprint for national labour mobility — is designed to eradicate restrictive interprovincial trade barriers. TILMA was phased in starting in 2006 and more than 100 regulated occupations now have full labour mobility between B.C. and Alberta. A few examples: Teachers or welders certified in one province are able to move to the other without recertification or examination and a trucker driving the Trans-Canada Highway between Vancouver and Calgary will not face a host of differing and duplicative regulations on each side of the provincial borders. For more information, visit www.tilma.ca.

Retention grants target health care

Regina — Saskatchewan is spending $1.9 million to fund 37 projects designed to help keep health-care professionals from moving out of the province. Examples of funded projects include training staff in the Cypress Health Region to use defibrillators and other cardiac emergency equipment, thereby contributing to improved employee workplace safety, and providing an exercise room with shower facilities for employees of Prairie North Health Region’s River Heights Lodge, to retain healthy and satisfied workers. The money is part of $25 million the province set aside for a retention and recruitment plan for health-care professionals.

Saskatchewan reviewing WCB

Regina — Saskatchewan has directed the province’s Workers’ Compensation Board to initiate a best practices review to ensure it is meeting the needs of both employers and employees. The review will evaluate the level of service provided through the WCB’s claims-administration process, including injury claims, employer services and prevention. The WCB will issue a request for proposals to seek a qualified research agency or consulting firm to conduct the review. The final report is expected to be submitted to the board in September.

BC HRMA gives MDC a boost

Kelowna, B.C. — The British Columbia Human Resources Management Association (BC HRMA), representing HR professionals in the province, recently handed over a cheque of nearly $1,500 to the Okanagan branch of Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC). BC HRMA raised the funds during its annual holiday silent auction with items donated from HR professionals in the region, including a signed Jerome Iginla hockey jersey. MDC is BC HRMA’s corporate charity of choice and the association has donated more than $63,000 in the last four years.