James Middleton
Alberta's Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour, Lori Sigurdson, introduced changes to legislation this week that would force employers to buy insurance for farm and ranch workers.
If approved, the law would ensure that 60,000 farm and ranch workers in Alberta will have the same basic protections that other workers in the province have received for decades.
Bill 6, the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act, was introduced in the Alberta Legislature this week, and if it goes through, farm and ranch workers will be protected by the Occupational Health and Safety Act and regulations beginning January 1, 2016. Workers’ Compensation Board coverage for farm and ranch workers will also be mandatory as of this date.
“Everyone deserves a safe, fair and healthy workplace. With this bill, workplace legislation will now extend to farms and ranches. The rules we implement must respect the unique qualities of the farm and ranch industry, and I look forward to working with industry members to develop rules that make sense,” said Sigurdson.
The Workers’ Compensation Act was introduced in 1918, nearly a century ago, and Alberta’s Occupational Safety and Health Act was implemented in 1976, nearly four decades ago.
The proposed changes include:
Ensuring farms and ranches are subject to Occupational Health and Safety legislation to prevent farm and ranch incidents that can result in injury or death.
Providing Workers’ Compensation Board insurance coverage so that workers can continue to support their families if they are injured on the job, and protecting farm and ranch owners against the impact of workplace injuries and illness.
Including farm and ranches in Employment Standards and Labour Relations legislation.
Local government will work with the industry over the next year to develop detailed occupational health and safety technical rules for farms and ranches. The rules are expected to be in place in 2017.
