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.
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MAP posted-by: Matt