LAWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Work Injuries

May 4: Yukon’s 2025 time-loss injury rate fell to a decade-low of 1.2 per 100 workers, according to the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Board’s (WSCB) newly released 2025 Annual Report. Claims filed decreased nearly 10% from 893 to 813; claims accepted dipped from 706 to 629. There were four work fatalities in 2025, two more than in 2024.

OHS Enforcement

June 1 is the day the WSCB will implement its new administrative monetary penalties (AMPs) policy with penalty amounts for OHS penalties ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 depending on seriousness of the offence and whether it’s a first, second, or third/subsequent violation. The agency will also begin publishing the names of company who receive AMPs, adding a public relations cost to noncompliance.

Action Point: Find out about the current Administrative Monetary Penalty rules for OHS violations across Canada.

Injury Reporting

June 1: Starting June 1, Yukon employers who violate their OHS duties to report workplace injuries to the WSCB will be subject to AMPs under the agency’s new monetary penalties regime. The WSCB issued a new policy explaining how AMPs for incident reporting will work.

Action Point: Find out how to implement a legally sound Incident Reporting Compliance Game Plan at your site.

New Laws

Apr 21: The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) will contribute up to $1,264,308 to five projects aimed at improving the safety of Yukon’s food preparation, storage, and distribution systems. The recipients include a mix of private sector entrepreneurs, First Nation organizations, and government agencies.

Industry Challenges

Apr 30: Policy changes make it easier for U.S. physicians to get a licence to practice in Yukon. Administered in collaboration with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C., the new licensing procedure allows Government of Yukon licensing officers to use a physician’s approved credentials in B.C. to register the candidate in the territory. Result: American Board-certified physicians can use one set of documents to apply for licensing in two Canadian jurisdictions.

Drugs & Alcohol

Apr 7: Newly passed Bill 3 authorizing the Yukon Government to participate in Canada-wide class action against companies that produced and sold opioid products received Royal Assent. Led by British Columbia, the lawsuit is seeking billions of dollars in damages for the health and financial harms inflicted by addictive opioids.

Action Point: Find out how to use the OHS Insider Substance Abuse Compliance Game Plan to curb drugs and alcohol at your workplace.

Return-to-Work

May 1: Yukon employers who violate their workers’ comp duty to cooperate with and reemploy workers seeking to return to work from a work injury will now be subject to AMPs under the WSCB’s new penalties regime, starting June 1.

Action Point: Find out how to implement a legally sound Return to Work Compliance Game Plan for injured workers.