B.C. EXPANDS ACCESS TO NURSES, AIDES AND 911 OPERATORS

Emergency dispatchers, nurses and care aides in British Columbia will soon have easier access to workers’ compensation for mental-health disorders associated with their work. Labour Minister Harry Bains, pictured, says the regulatory changes are about fairness and support for workers who experience mental harm because of their jobs. Bains says people in certain professions are more likely to encounter trauma that can lead to mental illness. The government changed the Workers’ Compensation Act last year to add a list of mental-health disorders associated with jobs like police and firefighters, and now Bains says they’re expanding that. Oliver Gruter-Andrew, the CEO of the 911 call centre E-comm, says the change is good news because people experience a high level of emotional stress as they work to save lives.