You want your workers to be covered each and every day, no matter where they're working.
In certain situations, Alberta workers are covered when they leave the province to work. At times, this coverage is automatic. In other cases, you have to request it.
Coverage by WCB-Alberta doesn't replace the coverage requirements of the jurisdiction in which the worker will be working. It's important for you to check with the other province or country to determine those requirements as well.
There are three areas to consider when determining if coverage is in place for out-of-province work:
a. The worker's usual place of work
Workers who live in Alberta are eligible to have their coverage extended while working out of province. A worker is considered a resident of Alberta if he or she has a permanent residence here, immediate family, a bank account, registered vehicles/assets and/or provincial taxes are paid in Alberta.
Workers who aren't Alberta residents may still be covered if they usually work in Alberta and the out-of-province work is a continuation of that work. If your worker hasn't worked in Alberta first or has been hired to work exclusively out of province for you without first working in Alberta, he or she may not be covered.
For example: If you're an Alberta-based employer and your worker lives in British Columbia and normally works in Alberta, he or she would be automatically eligible for WCB-Alberta coverage if they were working for you in another province.
b. The nature of employment inside and outside the province
Your workers may be covered by WCB-Alberta for their out-of-province work if they're doing the same work they would be doing in Alberta.
For example: If your worker goes to British Columbia to work on a drilling crew and you normally do drilling work in Alberta, your worker is eligible for coverage. However, if you send the drilling worker to another province to work on a construction crew, he or she may not be covered. Coverage may be extended if you request a waiver and it is approved.
c. The length of time outside the province
If your worker meets the first two conditions above, they are automatically covered for any work they do outside the province for up to 12 continuous months. If their work extends beyond that, you must send us a written request for extension. Your application must include:
- The location of the work.
- Full legal name and residency of worker(s) involved.
- The original hire, departure and expected return dates.
Vacation, sick leave, shift rotation, etc. doesn't reset the 12-month period. However, if your worker returns to Alberta to work for a period of time before going back to work in the other province, the 12-month period is reset.
For example: If your worker has worked in Saskatchewan for six months, then returns to work in Alberta for a month before going back to Saskatchewan, the time period has been reset. They are covered automatically for a new 12-month period.
Other circumstances
If coverage isn’t automatic, as noted in the situations above, you may still be eligible to have your workers covered while they're working out of province. If it's determined that you are eligible, you must include the workers' earnings for the time spent outside the province subject to any maximum assessable earnings. If the workers' compensation board (or equivalent) in the jurisdiction your workers will be working in requires you to maintain an account, then you do not have to report these earnings to WCB-Alberta.