Nova Scotia’s worker’s compensation system needs “substantive changes,” according to the province.

A new report from the Workers’ Compensation System Improvement Review Committee, suggests 10 key areas of improvement for workers’ compensation, according to a news release from the Labour Department.

Douglas Reid, chair of the review committee, says Nova Scotia has some of the highest employer premiums, the lowest benefits for workers who are unable to work because of injury. It also has the longest duration of injured workers off because of a work injury and “among the lowest percentage of workforce coverage.”

“The recommendations in this report offer a path for Nova Scotia to make substantive changes to the workers’ compensation system that will address some of these key issues and more while considering both employer and employee or injured worker needs,” Reid wrote in the news release.

This was the first review of the worker’s compensation system in 20 years, the release said.

The committee, which was established by the Labour Department in 2023, was made up of nine people, including employers, employees and injured workers. They had 21 meetings across the province in the last year to gather the experiences and feedback of more than 1000 workers and industry officials.

The WCB provides injury insurance for 350,000 workers and 20,600 employers, about 50,000 of which have no coverage at all.

The government says the review is part of their work to improve the worker’s compensation system and address psychological injuries at work.

The 84-page report identified 10 priority areas of improvement:

• system sustainability
• injury prevention
• awareness and understand of the system
• claims administration
• supporting safe and timely return-to-work
• compensation and benefits
• coverage
• psychological health and safety and gradual onset stress
• reviews and appeals
• system transparency and accountability

Province hopes to make ‘substantive changes’

Because of this report, provincial Labour Minister Jill Balser said this report is very useful for her department.

“My Department can now begin to examine the recommendations to determine the best approach for making substantive changes to the system for all Nova Scotians,” she wrote in the release.

More to come…