No timeline has been provided for their return to duty
Eight paramedics with the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board (DNSSAB) in Ontario are currently off work due to workplace-related stress injuries, according to a recent report.
These employees have been assessed as having workplace stress injuries, DNSSAB Chief Paramedic Stephen Kirk told the North Bay Nugget.
No timeline has been provided for their return to duty, the report noted.
The news follows a recent KPMG report presented at a DNSSAB meeting, which projected a significant increase in absenteeism within Paramedic Services. The department is expected to log approximately 1,400 hours of lost time in 2025, making it the division with the highest share of absenteeism across the board, the Nugget reported.
The report attributes the rise in absenteeism to employee burnout and declining mental health, pointing to broader trends affecting emergency response, health care, and social services sectors. It states that employees in these fields are routinely exposed to traumatic incidents, high emotional demands, and ethically complex situations, which can lead to cumulative stress, compassion fatigue, and moral injury.
Overall, the board employs 128 paramedics, including supervisory staff.
Absenteeism across DNSSAB departments has already increased between 2024 and 2025.
Ontario’s First Responders Act presumes that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among first responders—including paramedics, police officers, and firefighters—is work-related. Under the legislation, first responders are not required to demonstrate a direct link between PTSD and a specific workplace incident to access benefits.
Recovery from post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI) can be unpredictable and often takes years. “One out of every 100 first responders in a typical year is going to be disabled by a work-related post-traumatic stress injury,” said Dr. Cameron Mustard of the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), according to a previous Canadian Occupational Safety report, according to a previous Canadian Occupational Safety report. Nearly 40% of those with accepted WSIB claims for PTSD remain on benefits for two years or more, the report noted.
How to support an employee with PTSD?
Canadian employers are already adopting a variety of strategies to improve return-to-work outcomes for public safety personnel dealing with PTSI, according to IWH. These include:
1. Building Internal Capacity
- Establishing dedicated abilities management teams with expertise in HR, wellness, and disability management.
- Hiring in-house psychologists and mental health professionals.
- Developing peer support programs where experienced workers mentor those returning to work.
2. Tailoring Return-to-Work Processes
- Customizing reintegration plans based on individual recovery needs and capabilities.
- Offering gradual return-to-work plans that adjust hours and duties over time.
- Initiating support while the employee is off work, including personalised communication preferences.
3. Enhancing Collaboration with External Stakeholders
- Sharing detailed RTW information packages with workers’ compensation case managers and health care providers.
- Inviting health care providers to the workplace for job-shadowing or exposure therapy to better understand the work environment and necessary accommodations.
4. Leveraging Third-Party Expertise
- Contracting third-party disability management firms to support claim and RTW processes.
- Partnering with community health care providers to offer interim care when workers face delays accessing permanent support.
- Coordinating with municipalities or the Ontario Public Service to identify alternative roles for employees who cannot return to their original positions.
5. Engaging Unions and Professional Associations
- Collaborating with unions and associations to foster trust and transparency in the RTW process.
- Including trusted representatives in planning when preferred by the worker, to improve engagement and communication.
