Workers' Compensation for Professional Athletes in British Columbia

In 2016, the Supreme Court of British Columbia took away professional athletes' ability to sue their employers for the long-term effects of injuries in their workplace. The Worker's Compensation Act excluded professional athletes, such as B.C. Lions players, on the assumption that we had the ability to sue, and the 2014 court case took that away. We now have nowhere to turn for injuries suffered on the job. Our members are forced to negotiate with our employer the rights that every other employee has under the Worker's Compensation Act.

Can you please help the Canadian Football League (CFL) Players’ Association by filling in the form below and sending a note to WorkSafeBC to remove this exemption?

Yours truly,

Brian Ramsay
Executive Director – CFL Players’ Association

The deadline for submissions is November 17, 2023.

Send your letter today by using the form below:

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Your Letter *

Dear [recipient name will go here],

Following the B.C. Supreme Court decision denying professional athletes such as B.C. Lions players access to the courts for sports-related injuries, professional athletes associations in the province of British Columbia have requested the removal of the exclusion of workers’ compensation to professional athletes.

Since 2017, athletes have been stuck without recourse for injuries sustained while working.  Furthermore, by the Supreme Court decision, they are also protected from lawsuits in the courts. This is an unfair and untenable situation for the players employed by these sports franchises and was first brought to the attention of WorkSafeBC in 2018.

Workers' Compensation coverage for professional athletes is mandatory in the US and is also mandatory when B.C. sports franchises compete down south. For many athletes who develop complications from their workplace injuries into their retirement, the province's taxpayers pay the bill.

We implore the WorkSafeBC Board to make this initiative a high priority and ensure the players are covered by the Workers Compensation Act.

Yours,
[your name will go here]

CC: 
- Baltej Dhillon, WCB Board Chair
- Anne Naser, WCB CEO
- Lori Guiton, WCB Senior Policy Analyst
- Minister Harry Bains
- Premier David Eby

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