I attended a seminar today on "Addictions in the Workplace" that was put on by the law firm Fasken Martineau. Faskens' labour and employment lawyer Patricia Janzen presented along with Dr. Ray Baker, an addictions specialist who has a company called HealthQuest.

The seminar was one in a series that Faskens is offering to its clients. They are aimed primarily  at human resource professionals, but I wanted to hear Dr. Baker speak and obtain a better sense of the services he offers.

As Ms. Janzen noted in the seminar, the law relating to how employers in BC must deal with addicted employees is not entirely clear, given the decisions by the BC Court of Appeal in:

1. Health Employers Assn. of B.C. (Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital) v. B.C. Nurses' Union, 2006 BCCA 57; application for leave to the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed 2006 CanLII 29072 (S.C.C.); and
2. Kemess Mines Ltd. v. International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 115, 2006 BCCA 58

versus the more recent decision in:

1. British Columbia (Public Service Agency) v. British Columbia Government and Service Employees Union, ("Gooding") 2008 BCCA 357, application for leave to appeal dismissed, 2009 CanLII 4208 (S.C.C.)