December 14, 1999 The Honourable Wes MacAleer, Minister of Community Services and Attorney General, today announced to the Legislative Assembly, the reinstatement of benefits to spouses under the Workers Compensation Act. Mr. MacAleer noted, "The change to the regulations is effective immediately and I am pleased to direct the Workers Compensation Board to contact those Islanders who will benefit from this decision." The Workers Compensation Act amendment will authorize the retroactive reinstatement of spousal benefits, without interest, for those who were remarried before April 1985 and had their spousal benefits terminated under the act. Legislation for Workers Compensation across Canada, prior to 1985, was almost universal in providing for the discontinuation of spousal benefits to the surviving spouse, on remarriage, of an employee killed as the result of a workplace injury. Benefits to dependent children of the worker killed were continued as long as the dependency relationship existed.Media Contact: Island Information Service