Businesses pushing for workplace pot policies
It’s been a milestone year for the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce with Canada’s brand-new cannabis industry preparing to launch in 2018. Janet Riopel, the chamber’s president and chief executive, spoke to Postmedia about what businesses can expect in the new year. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q What were the priorities for the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce this year?
A 2017 was a pretty difficult year for our business community. We called on government ... to really consider businesses in the face of the largest economic downturn in a generation.
We certainly brought a lot of issues to light this year. One of them was cannabis.
We advocated strongly for government to adopt a private retail model for selling cannabis ... we have a proven model here in our province through our liquor sales and distribution ... the private sector will do a very good job of it.
Q What will your priorities be in the new year ahead of cannabis legalization on July 1?
A The other side of cannabis ... that we really have to look at relates to employer rights and workplace safety.
We think that government needs to work harder and faster to get this legislation formalized ... we’ve got to know what the groundwork is ... and the rules that we’re going to be playing by as we move into arguably the first brand-new industry and opportunity that we’ve had in this country in decades.
We think the province should be investing a lot in drug testing research and education campaigns for the business community, promoting the adoption of drug and workplace policies. All of these things have got to be done and they’ve got to be done quickly.
Q What are your other priorities in 2018?
A We’ve been very focused on assisting our members and our fellow chambers across North America with understanding the value (of NAFTA and trade).
We’ve been working with chambers in the U.S. and soon in Mexico to share information and come together with a joint communication effort that talks to our government about the absolute fundamental importance of NAFTA.
We just need to build bigger, better, stronger relationships across the world.