June

"An arbitrator determined whether Agrium Vanscoy Potash Operations could require employees to submit to a search from a drug sniffing dog before they could enter the potash mine. The United Steelworkers Local 7552 grieved against this policy, alleging that requiring all employees to submit to the random search|interview process was ""an unjustifiable violation of employees ' fundamental right of 'privacy '."" The arbitrator concluded that a sniff by a drug sniffing dog is a search that could interfere with an employee 's informational privacy and that Agrium did not have reasonable grounds to invade the informational privacy of its employees through the drug sniff|interview process. The arbitrator 's decision is consistent with prior jurisprudence and the case law which places a very high evidentiary bar on employee drug testing. Employers will need specific evidence of a substance abuse problem before they can require employees to submit to drug searches or testing, even minimally invasive searches by drug sniffing dogs."

"Treasury Board spokeswoman Lisa Murphy says a criminal record check is part of the new assessment for some public servants and 'may include an RCMP requirement to obtain the individual 's fingerprints if deemed necessary by the functions of the position. '

Unions representing federal public servants are up in arms over the government 's plans to do credit checks of new and current public servants as part of its revamped security clearance screening process. ""An assessment of the trustworthiness and reliability of all individuals accessing sensitive information and|or assets must be undertaken to protect the interests and security of the government of Canada,"" Murphy said. ""A credit check will be reviewed as part of that assessment, in addition to other information to assist in assessing an individual 's reliability and trustworthiness."""

Jamaican residents convicted of possessing or smoking small amounts of marijuana prior to October last year, will not have these convictions reflected on their criminal record. The announcement follows legislative changes that came into effect on April 15 as part of the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2015, also referred to as the 'Ganja Reform Law '. Justice Minister Mark Golding said that the system will now automatically expunge all such convictions, once the offender applies for his or her 'police' record. The amendments to the act now make possession of less than two ounces of marijuana a ticketable offence.