Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER January 25, 2016 2 NEWS Recent stories posted on www.hrreporter.com. Check the website daily for quick news hits from across Canada and around the world. WEB O N T H E ACROSS CANADA Canada adds 22,800 jobs in December, fuelled by boost in part-time work Unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.1 per cent Temporary foreign workers not the answer to meat plant labour shortage: Minister Council cites shortage of 1,000 meat cutters, staff Companies increasing starting salary offers to secure new hires: Survey Average increase 5 per cent, say CFOs Canada must let negative forces behind low dollar, oil prices play out: Poloz Complex economic changes have led to higher consumer spending, falling employment Embattled Quebec drug giant Valeant Pharmaceuticals names interim CEO Michael Pearson in hospital with pneumonia AROUND THE WORLD American employers added strong 292,000 jobs in December U.S. economy may defy global trends and expand U.S. newsletter publisher to pay US$1.75 million for making workers clock out for breaks ousands of workers forced to clock out to take bathroom breaks: Lawsuit Busy Christmas season gives Spain's jobs market a lift But jobless rate still among highest in Europe Strong U.S. private payrolls data point to economy's resilience But signs growth slowed sharply in 4th quarter Greece's proposed pension reforms get no backing from opposition Plan calls for merging all six main pension funds into one Diabetes at work: Legal implications In part two of our three-part series on diabetes in the workplace, our Sun Life Financial and Canadian HR Reporter roundtable panel takes a look at the legal implications that go along with accommodating diabetes in the workplace. hrreporter.com FEATURED VIDEO APPOINTMENT NOTICE ADP has announced the appointment of Holger Kormann as President of ADP Canada Co. effective December 16, 2015. Based in Toronto, Mr. Kormann will lead ADP Canada's Senior Leadership Team and its 2,000 associates in seven locations across Canada. A proven technology executive, with extensive experience in business outsourcing, he joins ADP from Atos, a global leader in information technology and digital services, where he held the dual roles of CEO and General Manager, Atos Inc. Canada, and Sr. Vice President, Indirect Channels, Atos North America. Prior to his tenure at Atos, Mr. Kormann was Vice President and CEO Canada of Siemens IT Solutions and Service Business Solutions. He holds a B.A. from the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg and an MBA from the University of Hamburg. He is a board member of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC). ADP Canada gives organizations of every size the tools to help their people thrive. From basic payroll to complex people management systems and analytics, we help business leaders make better decisions. Our clients trust ADP to provide strategic insights and on- demand expertise to build and inspire the workforce they need. Visit us at adp.ca or follow us on Twitter @ADP_CDA. Minimal changes required to sell cannabis in liquor stores: Unions But marijuana seller says different training required for staff BY LIZ FOSTER LIQUOR and marijuana might be an ideal match, at least when it comes to retail, according to the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU). The union representing On- tario liquor retail workers wants legalized non-medical marijuana to be sold in the province's LCBO stores. "It's just a really good system and there's one of those systems in every province," said OPSEU pres- ident Warren (Smokey) omas. "I hate to insult the government of Ontario but I don't really trust them to create a system to do it. If they had to start from scratch, I think they would botch it." Similarly, the BC Government Service Employees' Union (BC- GEU) and B.C. Private Liquor Store Association (BCPLSA) are advocating for the sale of rec- reational cannabis through the province's existing alcohol distri- bution and retail system. The calls for cannabis sales come after Prime Minister Jus- tin Trudeau's decision to move ahead with the legalization of non-medical marijuana for sale to adults. In late 2015, he called on Canada's newly appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould to collaborate with other min- isters and create a federal-pro- vincial-territorial process that will lead to the legalization and regulation of marijuana. The federal government will create a task force to consult with legal authorities, public safety offi- cials and Health Canada scientists as it examines the issues of legal- ization, according to Minister of Health Jane Philpott. Concerns about interaction But Travis Lane, general manager of Trees Dispensary in Victoria, B.C., said it's not a good idea to put cannabis side by side with alcohol on shelves. "I have concerns about the in- teraction between the two sub- stances. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me." Liquor retail workers don't have the training necessary to adequately educate custom- ers on the effects of cannabis use, he said, let alone the use of cannabis when combined with alcohol. The sale of cannabis should be considered through a similar lens as those applied to naturopathic health and herbal- ism, said Lane. "Cannabis workers are experts that are trained in the health ben- efits of this plant," he said of the dispensary community in B.C. "If you just train people in retail procedure and that's all, I think you'll find customers are missing out on a lot of the ben- efits," said Lane. He compared the employees at Trees to sommeliers, saying the dispensary business is more closely related to the service in- dustry than to retail. "We pride ourselves on tak- ing a very personal approach," he said. "We encourage our staff to get anecdotal evidence and ex- perience and put that forward to customers to help them evaluate their options. Cannabis is a very subjective experience. When you drink a bottle of wine, most people experience a very similar effect from the alcohol. With can- nabis, products affect everyone differently." Marijuana's many forms — in- cluding edibles and oils — require even further specialization, he said. Every customer at Trees Dis- pensary has an account, said Lane, so the company is able to track each individual purchase and use an employee's history to help him make more informed purchases. e Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries (CAMCD) has also spoken out about the importance of using the existing system for the distri- bution of legalized cannabis. "Dispensaries have 20 years of expertise in providing safe and dignified access to medical can- nabis along with education on its use," said CAMCD president Jamie Shaw. "It makes the most sense to utilize the existing distri- bution system to sell cannabis in a legalized context." Cannabis is not comparable to alcohol, said the association, with significantly different storage and handling requirements and pat- terns of use. Liquor retailers would have to make major changes to ac- commodate cannabis sales. Employees can adapt omas disagreed, arguing train- ing and additional equipment would easily allow LCBO em- ployees to adapt to the sale of marijuana. "ey do introduce new (alco- hol) products all the time so they have a process in place for adding new products," he said. "e LCBO does over 500,000 product testings a year to ensure purity and quality. They have those labs in place already and I'm told by members who do that work in those labs that they could quite easily adapt to test pot." If legalization goes ahead, there needs to be a strong regulatory framework in place, including minimum age limits, a ban on marketing and a plan to prevent cannabis-impaired driving, said omas. LCBO employees' training in enforcing minimum age limits and its emphasis on social respon- sibility will be of particular impor- tance if marijuana is legalized in Canada, he said. "Alcohol is a drug so we already have a control system in place for the sale of drugs. e LCBO could adapt very quickly, with minimal cost." Open discussions While Lane disagreed with the unions' push for cannabis to be sold in liquor stores, he said he appreciates that these issues — and the issues of legalization and regulation in general — are being discussed so openly. "I think it's a great sign for the legitimization of our industry," he said. "While I'm not for cannabis being sold in liquor stores, I am glad to see the unions step for- ward and want to take this." e more significant issue that needs to be addressed, said om- as, is the potential impact the le- galization of marijuana could have on society as a whole. "ere's a whole host of issues for society to think about. And I would hope that governments of all stripes and in all provinces would have extensive consulta- tion with all stakeholders," he said, mentioning concerns the legaliza- tion of marijuana could lead to a "pot deficit" similar to the costs associated with alcohol use. "Alcohol is a drug so we already have a control system in place for the sale of drugs. e LCBO could adapt quickly."

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