Over half of Sask. small business owners concerned Cannabis legalization will impact safety in their workplace

Small businesses are grappling with a new mess of inconsistent and uneven workplace cannabis legalization regulations across the country. In fact, a new survey conducted by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) reveals that 55 per cent of Saskatchewan small business owners are concerned the legalization of recreational cannabis will impact safety in their workplace. As a result, the CFIB has developed a series of educational and workplace tools to help employers manage the change.

“Governments had the opportunity to create a clear, modern system for cannabis. Unfortunately, the process of legalization has created more questions than answers for small business owners, on top of everything else, like the federal tax changes and significant changes to labour laws in many provinces,” said Dan Kelly, CFIB’S President. “Small business owners don’t have lawyers or HR specialists on staff, so they need support to prepare for the new reality of legal cannabis. The hundreds of questions we have received on how to address cannabis-related workplace issues provides clear evidence of the uncertainty and need for proper guidance.”

To ensure small businesses are ready, CFIB has created a suite of tools, including a free webinar, a workplace drug and alcohol policy template and an online course for employers and employees on workplace impairment. All of the resources, with the exclusion of the online course, are publicly available at cfib.ca/cannabis.