Pubdate: Thu, 20 Apr 2017 Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2017 Postmedia Network Contact: http://www.calgaryherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66 Page: A15 WORK MUST EXCLUDE POT Adding to the many concerns and ambiguities clouding the Trudeau government's rush to legalize recreational marijuana use in Canada, the energy sector has exposed a significant void in the proposed rollout. Enform, the oilpatch safety organization, is justifiably concerned that proposed federal laws tabled in the House of Commons last week do not include regulations on workplace safety. It's urging Ottawa and provincial leaders - though the federal cannabis task force - to harmonize labour rules to ban marijuana use in workplaces where safety could be compromised. In Alberta, that would include most oil and gas operations. "If people in safety-sensitive positions, or safety-sensitive projects or work, are not competent to do the work, a catastrophic event could unfold," Enform CEO Cameron MacGillivray warned this week. Buying marijuana for recreational use is expected to be legal by July 2018 under the Liberal plan. The Trudeau government so far appears inclined to pass much of the heavy lifting around legalization - taxation, distribution, advertising and policing, for example - onto the provinces. Thankfully, Premier Rachel Notley has recognized workplace safety among the critical issues as the province works to meet the "ambitious" timelines set out by Ottawa. Her promise to consult Albertans before any decisions are made offers some assurance that Enform and other industry organizations will be heard. Enform's call for rules to prohibit marijuana use in hazardous workplace environments seems decidedly logical. However, as past efforts to improve workplace safety have proven, common sense does not always win the day. Attempts by Suncor Energy and other companies to address workplace safety risks through random drug or alcohol testing of employees have encountered repeated legal challenges by unions and others who contend such practices are an invasion of privacy. The challenge for governments, as has been proven in the drug-testing debate, is how to balance employees' rights against a company's obligation to offer a safe workplace, protecting workers not only from themselves but also those labouring alongside them. The many inherent dangers of Alberta's energy industry demand clear focus and good judgment. This is not the time for a hazy, half-baked approach to the potential impacts of pot in the workplace. It is the time for governments, industry and employee groups to commit to regulations or restrictions that make safety a priority. The lives of Alberta workers will be at stake. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt