The Honourable Jill Balser, Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration (LSI) has announced that a series of public engagements have been scheduled this fall to help inform Government’s ongoing review of the Workers’ Compensation System in Nova Scotia. 

In-person and virtual engagements will be held across the province from mid-November to early December, to gather input. LSI will also consult Nova Scotians on harassment in the workplace, alongside the engagements focused on workers’ compensation. 

WCB Nova Scotia looks forward to participating. Workers’ compensation in Nova Scotia offers valuable protection from the impact of workplace injury to more than 353,000 workers and about 20,600 employers. It’s been more than 20 years since a full review of the system – and it has changed significantly since that time.

The WCB plays a critical role in the workplace safety and insurance system. Most workers who are hurt on the job are able to return to work, and the injury rate is half what it was in the early 2000s. And, as the nature of workplace injury changes in our province, we’re making progress in supporting workers and employers after injury occurs. 

At the same time, we know we can always improve, and have identified these opportunities in our 2024-2030 Strategic Plan. We’re looking forward to hearing from Nova Scotians and continuing to improve our service.

“We’re pleased to participate in this review. We look forward to having conversations with workers and employers that help to highlight System gaps and opportunities,” says Karen Adams, CEO, WCB Nova Scotia. “Guided by input from those we serve and by our upcoming Strategic Plan for 2024-2030, we’re ready to serve working Nova Scotians in new and better ways in the years to come.”

To make it easy for Nova Scotians to learn more about the WCB and how we serve working Nova Scotians, our dedicated website section to support those seeking to learn more during the review is here.

“The vast majority of Nova Scotians never have to interact with the WCB directly. Thanks in part to a safety culture we’ve helped to create, most Nova Scotians go to work and come home safely every day, without injury. But for those who we do support, our work is incredibly important,” says Adams. 

“Every day, our teams help workers and employers, creating safer workplaces but also being there to help if something goes wrong and someone is hurt on the job. At the same time, we know there are areas of our service that we need to improve, and we will participate, listen, learn, and strive to move forward.”

Read the full Government of Nova Scotia news release.