The City of Sarnia is facing a possible shortfall of $2.4-million to deal with the phase-in of WSIB claims for 2015 and 2016.
It has been recommended to council that they approve a strategy, which borrows from capital reserves with a five-year payback plan.
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley says they're trying to find a budget solution while being understanding and sympathetic to the affected families.
"In the next few years, more and more categories of disease will be added," says Bradley. "We're trying to put together a long-term plan so that we can be fiscally responsible in dealing with the claims that come in."
In 2014, the provincial government expanded WSIB regulation to include six additional cancers presumed to be work-related for firefighters under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. That included myeloma, testicular and breast cancers with the phase in of prostate, lung, and skin cancers from 2015-2017.
Bradley says workers can refile previously denied claims dating back to 1960, so it's difficult to determine how much the shortfall will actually be.
"We honestly don't know if it's going to be that high, it could be lower, it could be higher. These are all estimates," says Bradley. "We just don't know how many claims will come in."
Sarnia council's meeting gets underway at 3:30pm on Monday.
