HALIFAX: The failure of the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia (WCBNS) to provide employers with predictability on premiums while government legislates increased benefits is disappointing.
The insurance fund is now fully funded. The surcharge put in place to replenish the fund is no longer needed and should be eliminated at this time.
CFIB recommends that the Board review its rate decision and immediately announce the elimination of the surcharge for 2026.
Workers’ compensation premiums in Nova Scotia remain the highest in the country. This reality of the last twenty years continues to impose a structural cost burden as well as a competitive disadvantage on small businesses across the province.
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CFIB also invites the Board to fully review its strategic plan and set more aggressive targets by January 2026.
The normalisation of costs and operations to bring the system in line with the rest of the country must occur at a much faster pace.
The work started by the executive team of WCBNS to normalise costs and operations following the review of the system is positive. Much more remains to be done to adjust the system to meet the needs of injured workers and employers.
WCBNS must operate at the speed of business. Not at the snail pace of government.
– Louis-Philippe Gauthier, Atlantic Vice-President of Advocacy, CFIB