The Legislative Assembly has now adjourned until Feb. 21 2017. Before the House rose, the Minister of Health and Long-term Care introduced amendments to various acts, including the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, in response to the federal Criminal Code legislation dealing with medical assistance in dying.
Under Bill 84, Medical Assistance in Dying Statute Law Amendment Act, 2016 the following text is added to Part I of the WSIA:
“For the purposes of this Act, a worker who receives medical assistance in dying is deemed to have died as a result of the injury or disease for which the worker was determined to be eligible to receive medical assistance in dying in accordance with paragraph 241.2 (3) (a) of the Criminal Code (Canada).”
The amendment is intended to ensure that workers’ compensation benefits are not denied only because of a medically assisted death.