Gatineau will have zero tolerance for presence of pot in police, firefighters
Mayor promises to be ‘way tougher’ on employees who protect the public
All police officers in Gatineau will be forbidden from having even traces of cannabis in their system while on duty, the city announced Friday.
All city staff will be banned from consuming cannabis while at work, but those with “high-risk jobs,” such as police officers, firefighters or other city workers who operate heavy machinery, will be expected to follow a zero-tolerance policy prohibiting evidence of cannabis consumption in their bodies while at work or face harsh penalties, Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin said during a news conference.
That means police officers or firefighters who consume cannabis will have to ensure it’s flushed from their systems before reporting for work.
“For other jobs, we’ll be a little less severe, but in all the cases, you’ll have to be able to function in your job as it is expected,” Pedneaud-Jobin said. “So we will be way tougher on certain jobs, but the rules that already exist in Gatineau will still apply. You must be able to function and do your job respectfully of citizens and according to what you’re supposed to do.”
The city will train managers to detect when employees have consumed cannabis.
“We already have a policy that touches on the use of alcohol and drugs,” Pedneaud-Jobin said. “It’s not new to us. We’re just adding one more product, so I don’t consider that we will have difficulties.
“The unions have been talked to. The employees are absolutely aware that they have to make sure that citizens are secure, that they feel secure, that they know that the people protecting them have the ability to do it, so the discussions are very open and we all know that we need to stay efficient.”
Gatineau police are expected to hold their own next conference next Tuesday. Marijuana will be legal across Canada beginning Wednesday.
In July, Gatineau city council decided to apply the measures in the Cannabis Regulation Act without additional restrictions.
That means that smoking or vaping cannabis, including medical marijuana, will be prohibited in public places where smoking tobacco is outlawed, such as school grounds, playgrounds, city-run pools and water parks and outdoor patios. However, Gatineau is also choosing to ban cannabis at health and social services buildings, on bike paths, at all colleges and universities — except in student housing — and public transit stops and stations.
In Quebec, the legal age to purchase and consume weed, like alcohol, will be 18, as opposed to 19 in Ontario. Pedneaud-Jobin said that if Gatineau runs into issues being so close to Ottawa, where the age of consumption will be higher, council was willing to discuss any additional measures that would need to be taken. It’s just too early to anticipate what any of those issues could be, especially with new governments in both provinces, he added.
Gatineau has also created a website — www.gatineau.ca/cannabis — with answers to frequently asked questions about cannabis legalization and it will hold two information sessions for residents next week, both before and after legalization.
The employees are absolutely aware that they have to make sure that citizens are secure.