Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry News
New police curriculum to detect drug-impaired driving
Introduction to Drug-Impaired Driving In preparation for the legalization of cannabis across Canada, a new drug-impaired driving training program is being formed to aid law enforcement in their efforts to help prevent Canadians from driving while under the influence...
Possibility of mandatory drug testing in some jobs
With the date for cannabis legalization looming across the country, the Trudeau government is now exploring the possibility of making drug tests in certain workplaces mandatory. According to MP Bill Blair, people in safety-sensitive jobs like pilots and heavy...
News Update – Suncor dispute ends
The Supreme Court of Canada has denied the Unifor union of Suncor's most recent appeal on the key ruling regarding random drug testing at Suncor Energy's oilsands operations in northeast Alberta. This has been a years long proceeding, with ongoing appeals back and...
Newfoundland makes decisions about cannabis laws
Newfoundland's new Cannabis Control Act has established driving penalties as well as fines for underage and public use in preparation for the federal legalization of marijuana slated for Summer of 2018. "We're making great progress and will be ready for whatever date...
American workforce highest positive drug rate in decades
Overview Data released on May 8th at the Federal Transit Administration Drug and Alcohol Program National Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, shows that Americans are using cocaine, methamphetamine, and cannabis at higher rates than they have in more than a...
Random roadside testing changes
Amendment to Bill C-46 Conservative senators have led the Senate’s legal affairs committee to pass an amendment to Bill C-46 that will remove allowance for law enforcement officers to conduct random roadside testing breathalyzer tests, or mandatory screening. The 6-5...
Warning labels to be applied to opioid painkillers
Legislation Implementation For the first time, Ottawa has used the regulatory power of legislation to place conditions on licences to sell medications, and has recently issued a requirement that all manufacturers of high risk, powerful opioid painkillers produce and...
DOT REMINDER: Updated CCF Forms
All DOT testing that takes place after June 30, 2018 must be done using the newest DOT Custody and Control Form which was approved on August 8, 2017. The DOT gave a grace period from the approval date until June 30th, 2018, where the old CCFs would still be...
Medicinal cannabis use: arbitrator sides with employer
On April 30th, 2018, the Arbitrator in the Lower Churchill Transmission Construction Employers’ Association and IBEW Local 1620 dispute decided on the side of the employer and declared that it was undue hardship in terms of an unacceptable increase in safety risk if...