'This legislation would bring Yukon in line with many other Canadian jurisdictions'
Yukon is looking to revise its rules around workers' safety and compensation.
Bill No. 22, the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Act, would replace the Workers’ Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
“A more clear and effective Workers’ Safety and Compensation Act will ensure that worker safety is always kept at the forefront, in step with changing workplace conditions so that Yukoners’ safety is safeguarded for years to come,” says Jeanie McLean, minister responsible for the Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board. “This proposed legislation is fair and accountable and supports Yukoners with a safety and compensation system that provides them with the support they deserve.”
Important step
The new legislation is an important step towards modernizing Yukon’s workplace safety and compensation systems, according to stakeholders.
"This legislation would bring Yukon in line with many other Canadian jurisdictions, ensuring that Yukon’s workplaces and workers will be protected under legislation that has their interests in the forefront, all the while ensuring that the compensation fund is kept in a balanced position to support Yukoners when they need it most,” says Kurt Dieckmann, Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board president and CEO.
In the fall of 2019, the safety board hosted a public engagement to ask employers, workers and stakeholders in the province for their input. It included stakeholder and public meetings, one-to-one meetings, outreach events, two online surveys and written submissions. The public engagement was summarized in a report noting that employers, workers and stakeholders support the modernization of legislation that enhances safety and compensation systems within the territory.
In November, the Yukon amended the Employment Standards Act to provide access to paid and unpaid leave for victims of domestic or sexualized violence.
