A union representing professional hockey players has hired a longtime B.C. NDP strategist to lobby the province to provide workers injury coverage to athletes — a change the provincial government says is being seriously considered.

Last week, Bill Tieleman registered to lobby in British Columbia for the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA).

His registration, posted in the IJF’s lobbyist database, aims to make British Columbia the first province in Canada to mandate compensation for professional athletes who are injured on the job.

The PHPA, which represents players in both the American Hockey League and the East Coast Hockey League, is among the many players’ associations that have tried to convince the British Columbian government to be the first province to adopt those changes.

Tieleman, their chosen lobbyist, was the director of communications for former NDP premier Glen Clark and is a former B.C. NDP strategist.

He lobbies on behalf several unions in the province including the union representing CFL players, which has also pushed B.C. to provide coverage for professional athletes. Lobbyist registry records say Tieleman spoke with B.C. Minister of Labour Jennifer Whiteside and senior staff on behalf of those football players in January of this year.

“The Professional Hockey Players’ Association has been strong advocates for including their members — professional sports competitors and athletes — into the workers’ compensation system in Canada," Whiteside said in a statement. "I met with them earlier this year to learn about the issues, and I understand that WorkSafeBC is carefully considering their concerns through discussions with players’ associations.”

WorkSafeBC, the province’s workplace health and safety agency, noted in its 2024-26 policy workplan that it is considering whether to revise policy to allow professional athletes to make compensation claims. That agency has not committed to any such change.

Currently, no Canadian province provides workers’ compensation to professional athletes injured during sporting games.

That’s different from many U.S. states. The Vancouver Canucks, for example, receive compensation if injured during a game because the NHL is headquartered in New York, where athletes are eligible for that compensation.

Players’ associations have long argued Canada should follow suit. They argue athletes are not fundamentally different from other workers. And except for major NHL stars, most Canadian athletes only earn modest salaries, meaning they cannot rely on savings if they are seriously injured during a game.

Sports leagues, though, have long opposed such changes. The Canadian Football League, for example, has previously argued in court cases that athletes willingly assume risk by playing games where injuries are likely.

They also argue that applying workers’ compensation rules to professional sports would create legal obligations to alter how those sports are played.

The American Hockey League did not respond to a request for comment.

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