A TTC spokesperson says Toronto’s transit agency feels “very well prepared” to keep employees and members of the public safe in the wake of marijuana legalization.
Speaking to CP24 on Wednesday, Megan Macrae, the TTC’s executive director of human resources, conceded that while the organization does have “concerns” about legalization, the TTC currently has a program in place to address drug and alcohol use on the job.
“We feel we’ve got a robust handle on the safety culture at our organization and the adequate tools to be able to ensure employee and public safety,” Macrae said.
The TTC first launched its Fitness for Duty policy in 2010 and last year, the transit agency introduced random drug and alcohol testing. TTC staff in “safety sensitive” positions, including operators, maintenance employees, supervisors, management, and executives, are subject to random drug and alcohol screening.
“We introduced our Fitness for Duty program because we did have a concern about drug use and alcohol use in the work location. There are some locations where you’ve got a very narrow window of time to do track work, middle of the night, high-stress environments,” Macrae said.
“That concern now with the legalization of marijuana does become aggravated but it did predate this issue.”
She said the TTC is aware that drug use has spiked in some areas where cannabis has recently been legalized.
“In Colorado, for example, drug use amongst adults has skyrocketed and that is the population that we are dealing with in workplaces so we do have a safety concern from that perspective,” she said.
“We also know that in those jurisdictions like the UK, Australia, U.S., that have mandatory drug testing programs, the rate of positive results has very much decreased with respect to random programs. We’ve had that experience at the TTC as well.”
On Tuesday, the Senate voted to lift a ban on recreational marijuana. The federal government says Canadians will be able to legally purchase and consume recreational pot by mid-September at the latest.
