“Paramedics support bill that would give mental health support” / Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Northern Life, May 5, 2015)
CUPE first responders gathered at Queen’s Park to urge passage of Bill 2, an amendment to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act which would recognize post-traumatic stress disorder in emergency responders (including police officers, firefighters and paramedics) for WSIB claims. The Bill, which passed first reading on July 7, 2014, is the latest in an eight-year struggle by NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo to have PTSD recognized.
In response to her question in the House today on whether the government will act to make PTSD a presumed workplace injury for first responders experiencing this disorder, the Minister of Labour reported they are completing research on how other provinces, notably British Columbia and Alberta, deal with the issue.
In referring to the number of suicides among emergency personnel, the MPP for Parkdale-High Park echoed the recent call by the Tema Conter Memorial Trust for Ottawa to provide increased mental health support for all Canadians, after 44 first responders and military members died by suicide in the past year.
We’re all talking about mental health, but we’re not doing anything about it” (Vince Savoia, Tema)