Being protected for the what if’s

Shannon LeClair
Times Reporter

 

Thinking ahead and being protected in the case of an emergency, whether it’s an illness or injury, is always smart thinking. While the Government of Alberta may not have legislation making it mandatory for farmers to provide Workers Compensation (WCB) to their workers, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get your own coverage.
In a report released by the University of Alberta in January, Bob Barnetson, an Athabasca University associate professor of labour relations, argues about the exclusion of farm workers.
“There is absolutely no justifiable reason for ongoing exclusion of farm workers in Alberta from workers compensation coverage,” said Barnetson in the report.
He argues that if a farm worker is injured on the job they are on their own in terms of wage loss, medical aid and vocational rehabilitation.
What the report doesn’t mention is that there are insurance options available through commercial providers, and that farm hands can go find their own policy.
“It is something that is certainly needed … there are a (number) of accidents on farms and a majority of those people do not have any disability coverage,” said Farm and Estate Planning Specialist Kenneth Doll.
There are different types of insurance that the farm worker can apply for. Disability insurance usually covers an injury resulting from an accident.
“If they want it on their own it’s certainly available,” said Doll.
“I think the majority of them don’t know it’s available. If they do, they’re going to think it’s too expensive or nothing is going to happen to them.”
Having disability insurance is just another way to look after yourself and your family, and is no different from people looking after themselves by buying life insurance or looking after themselves by saving for their retirement.
In Alberta insurance must be purchased from a licensed insurance advisor.
“The cost varies and it’s like anything else you get what you pay for. If you want to be covered for everything the cost is going to be noticeable, but you can get a bare bones injury-only policy that is affordable,” said Doll.
Another perk to getting insurance through a commercial provider is that disability coverage can offer more coverage, whereas WCB coverage is limited in what it pays out.
“People say that disability insurance is expensive, well like anything else in life you get what you pay for,” said Doll. “You can purchase a ‘Cadillac’ disability plan that will cover you 24/7 for any injury or illness, or you can purchase a bare bones injury only disability plan that can be very affordable. It depends on what amount of coverage you want.”