There are renewed calls for better access to care for first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Nova Scotia’s NDP introduced a bill three days ago, and while it didn’t go through, the governing Liberals said a working group would be formed to look at the issue. So far, it hasn’t happened.
Kelly Murphy from the NSGEU says the things first responders deal with on a daily basis will eventually take a toll on them.
“They come to us when we’re in our time of crisis,” says Murphy. “So what they see on a day-to-day basis is crisis after crisis.”
The NDP wants the Liberal government to expand workers compensation for first responders so they receive automatic coverage for PTSD.
“We don’t have six months to look at this,” says MLA Dave Wilson. “In the last seven months, 24 first responders have committed suicide.”
Wilson says he believed the Liberals would form a group to address the issue right away, but he says he hasn't heard anything further.
Labour Minister Kelly Regan says that will likely happen after the house rises.
She adds the Workers' Compensation Board recently changed its procedures to cover many types of PTSD.
“Before we make any changes, we would actually have to sit down and consult to see how much that would impact,” says Regan.
Wilson says there’s some coverage for those who can identify a specific event that may have caused the issue, but adds that there’s too much red tape.
He wants to see Nova Scotia follow the lead of Alberta and Ontario by offering automatic coverage.
