August 10, 2006
Labour and Immigration Minister Nancy Allan announced today that the province is extending the number of industries covered by the Workers Compensation Board (WCB), effective Jan. 1, 2007.
The changes follow a comprehensive public review of the Workers Compensation Act which recommended that coverage of workplaces be extended after consultation with affected industries. The WCB undertook extensive consultations including public information sessions in Winnipeg, Brandon and Thompson, and sent 8,000 consultation packages to stakeholders across Manitoba.
“We are committed to gradually extending WCB coverage starting with the industries where it makes the most sense,” said Allan. “After extensive consultations, we believe that this is an important and reasonable first step that will move Manitoba towards the Canadian mainstream.”
The industries that will be covered effective Jan. 1, 2007, are similar in terms of the nature of work and kinds of hazards that are faced by workers already covered by the WCB. They are also presently covered by most other workers compensation boards across Canada. The industries are:
outside window cleaning;
aviation and air transport including the operation of an aircraft, provision of air transport services and the operation of an airline;
exploration and prospecting including assaying, archeological, environmental, geological, geophysical or mapping services;
mushroom plants;
taxidermy;
testing laboratories including product manufacturing, development and testing;
land surveying;
landscape architecture and design, landscaping and yard maintenance; and
property management.
This expansion of coverage represents about 1,150 employers. Sixty-seven per cent of those employers already have voluntary coverage and will not see any changes while 33 per cent of those employers currently have no voluntary coverage.
“Approximately 70 per cent of the Manitoba workforce is currently covered by workers compensation, the lowest level of coverage in the country. We are pleased that over 7,000 new workers will now receive worker’s compensation coverage and benefits,” said Allan.
No new industries have been covered by the WCB since the 1960s.
The WCB of Manitoba had the lowest average assessment rate in Canada in 2005 and the second lowest in 2006. It also had the lowest administrative cost per claim in the country at end of 2004 and the second-highest rate of return over the four years between 2001 and 2004. The injury rate has also decreased by 19 per cent since 2000.
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