LAWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Infectious Illness

Oct 13: Free updated COVID-19 and influenza vaccines are now available to New Brunswick residents ages six months and older as the province kicks off its 2026-27 respiratory illness prevention campaign. Appointments can be scheduled through the government’s website or by contacting a participating community pharmacy.

Action Point: Use the OHS Insider Infection Exposure Control Plan template to prevent COVID, influenza, and other seasonal respiratory illness outbreaks at your workplace.

New Laws

Oct 1: Effective today, the New Brunswick government will not procure U.S. goods or services for significant contracts (estimated value over $5 million). The province will also explore additional tariff response measures, including potential legislation giving the minister of natural resources authority to restrict issuance of fishing and hunting licences and mining claims based on certain criteria. Meanwhile, NB Liquor will review its interprovincial purchasing and sales practices to identify opportunities to prioritize Canadian products.

New Laws

Sep 4: New Brunswick announced new supports for local businesses affected by the new U.S. tariffs, including working capital loans of up to $5 million to offset revenue losses, increased costs, or supply-chain disruptions. Opportunities NB has allocated up to $1 million from its market development funding to help affected firms grow sales in the province and across Canada.

Action Point: Take 7 steps to ensure U.S. tariffs don’t compromise your OHS program.

New Laws

Sep 25: New Brunswick and the federal government signed an agreement that will provide the province $305 million in Build Communities Strong Fund support for infrastructure projects related to housing and post-secondary education over the next 10 years and $155 million in health infrastructure funding over three years. As part of the deal, New Brunswick has agreed not to increase fees or taxes that hinder housing supply.

Training

Sep 11: New Brunswick eliminated the tuition fee for apprenticeship-level training. Apprentices will now be able to complete technical skills training without paying tuition, resulting in an average saving of about $2,720 over the course of their training. The tuition cost of technical training is $85 per week. Most apprentices complete four levels of technical training, each one lasting about eight to 10 weeks.

Workers’ Compensation

Sep 23: WorkSafeNB revised more than half a dozen coverage policies, including Policy 25-004 Acute and Post-Surgical Home Services, Policy 21-220 Claim-related Travel, Policy 29-220 Claim-related Travel Fee Schedule, Policy 25-008 Clothing, Policy 21-117 Conditions for Entitlement – Any Other Disablement, Policy 29-550 Home Care and Home Maintenance Fee Schedule, Policy 25-003 Home Care and Independence, Policy 21-403 Home Modifications to Assist with Functional Access, Policy 25-007 Prostheses, Orthoses and Assistive Devices, and Policy 21-402 Vehicle Modifications.

CASES

Workers’ Compensation: Workers’ Compensation Covers Opioid Drugs to Treat Chronic Pain from Work Injury

A worker was prescribed opioid drugs for chronic pain from the work-related knee injury she suffered while descending a ladder. While covering the injury, WorkSafeNB refused to pay for the drugs under its "opioid ceiling" (maximum dosage cap) policy. The Workers’ Compensation Appeals Tribunal (WCAT) sided with the worker but, dissatisfied with the WCAT’s calculation of benefits, the worker took her case to the province’s highest court. The Court of Appeal rejected the appeal but also sent the case back down for a determination on whether the worker was getting a fair deal based on its own interpretation of the dosage cap criteria [Knox v. Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission, 2026 NBCA 102 (CanLII), September 10, 2026].

Action Point: Find out how to create a legally sound Drugs and Alcohol Testing Policy for your workplace.