British Columbia now covers 26 cancers for firefighters’ compensation, expanding to eight new types due to increasing wildfire-related health risks.

British Columbia has expanded workers’ compensation to cover eight additional cancers—skin cancer, mesothelioma, soft-tissue sarcoma, and pharynx cancers—for firefighters, raising the total to 26 presumed work-related illnesses. The move makes B.C. the most comprehensive province in Canada for firefighter cancer claims. The change, welcomed by the BC General Employees’ Union, responds to rising health risks as wildfire seasons grow longer and more severe, with firefighters accounting for 35% of WorkSafeBC cancer claims from 2010 to 2025 despite representing just 0.5% of the workforce.