In general, the following applies:

  1. All jurisdictions require that the firefighter is regularly exposed to the hazards of a fire scene; this eliminates non-exposed work such as administrative, prevention and community outreach activities.
  2. All jurisdictions exclude "exposure at forest fires" from consideration. Therefore, forest firefighters do not benefit from a presumption.
Presumptive Legislation for Firefighters in Canada
 British ColumbiaAlbertaSaskatchewanManitobaNova Scotia
Full-Time Firefighters Covered by Presumptive LegislationYesYesYesYesYes
Part-Time/Volunteer Firefighters Covered by Presumptive LegislationYesNoNoYesYes footnote 5
Effective Date of Presumptive LegislationApril 11, 2005April 9, 2003
Regulation updated December 14, 2005		May 27, 2003
Regulation updated March 1, 2006		May 23, 2002
New Sections updated June 9, 2005		May 22, 2003
Regulation effective July 30, 2003
Retroactivity and Application Date for Full-Time FirefightersNon-retroactive
April 11, 2005 footnote 6		Non-retroactive
April 9, 2003		Non-retroactive
May 27, 2003 footnote 7		Retroactive
January 1, 1992		Retroactive
January 1, 1993
Retroactivity and Application Date for PartTime/Volunteer FirefightersNon-retroactive
April 11, 2005		n/an/aNon-retroactive
June 9, 2005		Retroactive
January 1, 1993
Minimum Exposure Period in Presumptive Legislation per Conditions Covered by Presumptive Legislation
Conditions Covered by Presumptive LegislationBritish ColumbiaAlbertaSaskatchewanManitobaNova Scotia
Brain Cancer10 years10 years10 years10 years10 years
Bladder Cancer15 years15 years15 years15 years15 years
Kidney Cancer20 years20 years20 years20 years20 years
Colorectal Cancer20 yearsn/a15 years15 yearsn/a
Colon Cancern/a20 yearsn/an/a20 years
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma20 years20 years20 years20 years20 years
Leukemia5 years5 years5 years5 years5 years
Ureter Cancer15 years15 years15 years15 yearsn/a
Testicular Cancern/an/a20 yearsn/an/a
Lung Cancern/an/a15 yearsfootnote 815 yearsfootnote 8n/a
Lymphoid Leukemian/an/an/an/an/a
Heart InjuryWithin 24 hoursfootnote 9Within 24 hoursfootnote 9Within 24 hoursWithin 24 hoursn/a

Footnotes

  • footnote[5] Back to paragraph Presumption applies to part-time firefighters provided they participated in 20% of all fire department activities
  • footnote[6] Back to paragraph Presumption applies to firefighters who were first disabled with one of the prescribed cancers on or after April 11, 2005. Related Regulations made on or before January 1, 2006 can be made retroactive to a date on or after April 11, 2005
  • footnote[7] Back to paragraph Case-by-case reconsiderations made if requested to review a denied claim for decisions made prior to enacting of presumption under Sask Pol
  • footnote[8] Back to paragraph Presumption for lung cancer applies only to non-smokers, minimum period of time as non-smoker specified in Sask Regulation 13/2006 and MB Regulation 160/2005 respectively.
  • footnote[9] Back to paragraph Heart injury and firefighters not under presumptive legislation but specified in BC policy #15.15 June 2000