ALBERTA READY TO PUSH FOR WORKPLACE DRUG TESTING

EDMONTON - The Alberta government should take a leadership role in
combating the increasing problem of people showing up for work drunk or
drugged, says the Minister of Human Resources and Employment.

"I know it's going to be hugely controversial but at some point we've got
to deal with impairment in the work-place," Clint Dunford said Wednesday at
a forum on worker safety.

Some companies are already doing random testing and getting alarming
results, he said. "In some cases significant percentages are failing the
random tests," Dunford stated. He also cited police communiques alluding to
the problem.

Dan MacLennan, president of the Alberta Union of Public Employees, said he
saw no justification for random drug testing.

"If they suspect that, there are things they should be doing before looking
at processes like drug testing," he said. "If they think someone has a
drinking problem they shouldn't let them anywhere near the work site."

"We would work with employers to make sure there is counselling available
for those people. Falling back on drug testing is a cop-out," MacLennan said.

He says the union is strongly opposed to workers being impaired on the job
but warned that testing can lead to over-reactions by management.

"We don't want people operating vehicles or working anywhere if they are
impaired," he said.

"The unions do have a responsibility to be part of the solution and to look
at situations like that, but there are people who think that if someone
smoked a marijuana cigarette away from the job 28 days earlier it is a big
deal. The reality is the world's changing."

Although some companies have already taken action, they realize they are on
somewhat shaky ground legally and that's where government comes in, Dunford
told reporters.

Over the next five years he predicted they will develop a legislative and
regulatory framework to establish an appropriate testing procedure.

"I think that has to come from the province. We're the ones who hold the
legislation on workplace health and safety and we're the ones who hold the
legislation on human rights. I think it's up to us to provide the
guidance," Dunford stated.

The problem is immediate but he said it would be wrong to try to rush into
action.

"If and when we do this we're going to do it the right way," he said.

Edmonton Liberal MLA Hugh MacDonald said he saw no reason to support random
testing and demanded Dunford provide the evidence.

"There's no need for this," he said. "If these things are driving work
injury rates up, then prove it to us," he charged.

Alberta's two biggest oil companies, both of which use drug tests, reacted
favourably to Dunford's comments, however.

"It sounds like something we support and agree with," said Brenda Erskine,
a spokeswoman for Suncor Energy Inc.

Suncor uses both pre-employment drug and alcohol testing and what they call
post-incident and reasonable cause testing, when they have reason to
suspect substance abuse.

"Right now we rely on case law for our drug and alcohol testing policy and
we'd like to see legislation that would more clearly define human rights
and health and safety issues," Erskine said.

A spokesman for Syncrude Canada Ltd. said they also use pre-employment
testing and agree with what Dunford is suggesting.

"Syncrude supports every initiative that helps ensure all our workers make
it home safely at the end of the day," said Randy Provencal.

Workers on their Fort McMurray site operate massive equipment and they want
to be sure they show up fit to work, Provencal said.

"We support measures that will help us achieve that end."