ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest province to propose to make cancer a presumptively occupational disease for firefighters – meaning that afflicted firefighters would not have to prove that the disease was caused by work in order to collect workers’ compensation benefits. According to a Dec. 12 news release from WorkplaceNL, the provincial government hopes to amend the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Act and Regulations to provide presumptive cancer coverage for career and volunteer firefighters. If passed into law, the amendment would cover 11 types of cancer, including brain, breast, bladder, kidney and lung cancer, along with leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. “This legislation is another example of how our government listens to people and creates beneficial change through their feedback,” N.L. Premier Dwight Ball said in a press statement. “This new benefit will not increase the assessment rates currently paid by employers who fund the workers’ compensation system.” Ontario passed a law making lung cancer presumptively occupational for firefighters and fire investigators nearly a year ago (COHSN, Jan. 12).