Are you ready for Legal Cannabis?

On October 17, Canadians, including your workers, will be legally able to report to construction work impaired from cannabis. OGCA encourages members and all contractors to implement and enforce Fit for Duty policies to protect your employees. The OGCA website has videos of our webinars explaining how and why.

The OGCA and partners in the CDAO, have raised our concern that the relaxed consumption laws that the government has proposed in Bill 36 will immediately make impairment a greater problem on construction sites.
The bill proposes that cannabis can be consumed anywhere that tobacco can. Today, many workers smoke on their way to work or during breaks, and now they will legally be able to do the same with cannabis. The difference is cannabis is intoxicating and will impede judgment and hinder motor skills. The result is less production and more unsafe workers.

At this time, government has a prohibition on workers in oil and gas, mining and diving from reporting for duty intoxicated, but is silent on construction.

OGCA has issued the attached submission to government and we are preparing for direct meetings with MPPs. We are asking for the tools to manage impairment, starting with the same prohibition other industries have, and requesting the ability to conduct drug testing under reasonable conditions.