Employee Drug Testing: Orwellian Vision or Pragmatic Approach to Problems in the Workforce

Until very recently, there has been no case law considering the legitimacy of employee drug testing under Human Rights legislation or the permissibility of drug testing policies and what they should stipulate. In light of two relatively recent cases, Entrop v. Imperial Oil and Toronto-Dominion Bank v. Canadian Human Rights Commission and Canadian Civil Liberties Association, a re-examination of the legitimacy of employee drug testing is warranted, along with the arguments concerning what the policies should target and how they should be implemented. Furthermore, the EDT jurisprudence exemplifies the discrepancies in the human rights framework, as articulated by the Supreme Court in British Columbia Government [Public Service Employee Relations Commission] v. BCGSEU. The Ontario Court of Appeal heard Entrop prior to the release of the recent Supreme Court pronouncements on a revised human rights analytical framework, thus providing a further impetus to examine how EDT can justifiably be implemented according to traditional human rights principles embraced in the new unified approach. Courts should consider employee drug testing to be a practicable and legitimate employment rule that strives to maintain workplace safety and integrity. This conclusion is reached after examining the viable concerns over substance abuse, the various issues that are raised by employee drug testing, the role of human rights and Charter jurisprudence, and the preciseness of the polices\u27 language. The present pending appeal before the Ontario Court of Appeal in Entrop presents a unique opportunity for the judiciary to set out guidelines as to the permissible means of drug testing, the responsibilities of employers and employees, and how testing can be legally upheld under statutory and common law. Employee drug testing is unquestionably an invasion of employees\u27 privacy. But it is also a proactive approach to a pressing issue that confronts the workplace and society at large. Employee assistance programs are a valuable component in an employer\u27s strategy to maintaining a healthy workforce and a safe work environment. But these programs alone are simply not sufficient to combat the danger of substance abuse in the workplace. Unions and management must work together to implement testing policies that meet the changing virtues and vices of contemporary Canadian society in order to accommodate employees\u27 needs

Employee Drug Testing: Orwellian Vision or Pragmatic Approach to Problems in the Workforce

Until very recently, there has been no case law considering the legitimacy of employee drug testing under Human Rights legislation or the permissibility of drug testing policies and what they should stipulate. In light of two relatively recent cases, Entrop v. Imperial Oil and Toronto-Dominion Bank v. Canadian Human Rights Commission and Canadian Civil Liberties Association, a re-examination of the legitimacy of employee drug testing is warranted, along with the arguments concerning what the policies should target and how they should be implemented. Furthermore, the EDT jurisprudence exemplifies the discrepancies in the human rights framework, as articulated by the Supreme Court in British Columbia Government [Public Service Employee Relations Commission] v. BCGSEU. The Ontario Court of Appeal heard Entrop prior to the release of the recent Supreme Court pronouncements on a revised human rights analytical framework, thus providing a further impetus to examine how EDT can justifiably be implemented according to traditional human rights principles embraced in the new unified approach. Courts should consider employee drug testing to be a practicable and legitimate employment rule that strives to maintain workplace safety and integrity. This conclusion is reached after examining the viable concerns over substance abuse, the various issues that are raised by employee drug testing, the role of human rights and Charter jurisprudence, and the preciseness of the polices\u27 language. The present pending appeal before the Ontario Court of Appeal in Entrop presents a unique opportunity for the judiciary to set out guidelines as to the permissible means of drug testing, the responsibilities of employers and employees, and how testing can be legally upheld under statutory and common law. Employee drug testing is unquestionably an invasion of employees\u27 privacy. But it is also a proactive approach to a pressing issue that confronts the workplace and society at large. Employee assistance programs are a valuable component in an employer\u27s strategy to maintaining a healthy workforce and a safe work environment. But these programs alone are simply not sufficient to combat the danger of substance abuse in the workplace. Unions and management must work together to implement testing policies that meet the changing virtues and vices of contemporary Canadian society in order to accommodate employees\u27 needs

Weaving The Threads of Multiculturalism Throughout Medical Education

How do medical students learn about the healthcare impact of essential multiculturalism issues in an increasingly diverse population? This study gauges student participation in a variety of multiculturalism curricula and student assessment of curriculum time devoted to multiculturalism at school versus national levels

The role and uses of antibodies in COVID-19 infections: a living review

Coronavirus disease 2019 has generated a rapidly evolving field of research, with the global scientific community striving for solutions to the current pandemic. Characterizing humoral responses towards SARS-CoV-2, as well as closely related strains, will help determine whether antibodies are central to infection control, and aid the design of therapeutics and vaccine candidates. This review outlines the major aspects of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody research to date, with a focus on the various prophylactic and therapeutic uses of antibodies to alleviate disease in addition to the potential of cross-reactive therapies and the implications of long-term immunity

T cell phenotypes in COVID-19 - a living review

COVID-19 is characterized by profound lymphopenia in the peripheral blood, and the remaining T cells display altered phenotypes, characterized by a spectrum of activation and exhaustion. However, antigen-specific T cell responses are emerging as a crucial mechanism for both clearance of the virus and as the most likely route to long-lasting immune memory that would protect against re-infection. Therefore, T cell responses are also of considerable interest in vaccine development. Furthermore, persistent alterations in T cell subset composition and function post-infection have important implications for patients’ long-term immune function. In this review, we examine T cell phenotypes, including those of innate T cells, in both peripheral blood and lungs, and consider how key markers of activation and exhaustion correlate with, and may be able to predict, disease severity. We focus on SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells to elucidate markers that may indicate formation of antigen-specific T cell memory. We also examine peripheral T cell phenotypes in recovery and the likelihood of long-lasting immune disruption. Finally, we discuss T cell phenotypes in the lung as important drivers of both virus clearance and tissue damage. As our knowledge of the adaptive immune response to COVID-19 rapidly evolves, it has become clear that while some areas of the T cell response have been investigated in some detail, others, such as the T cell response in children remain largely unexplored. Therefore, this review will also highlight areas where T cell phenotypes require urgent characterisation

Employee Drug Testing: Orwellian Vision or Pragmatic Approach to Problems in the Workforce

Until very recently, there has been no case law considering the legitimacy of employee drug testing under Human Rights legislation or the permissibility of drug testing policies and what they should stipulate. In light of two relatively recent cases, Entrop v. Imperial Oil and Toronto-Dominion Bank v. Canadian Human Rights Commission and Canadian Civil Liberties Association, a re-examination of the legitimacy of employee drug testing is warranted, along with the arguments concerning what the policies should target and how they should be implemented. Furthermore, the EDT jurisprudence exemplifies the discrepancies in the human rights framework, as articulated by the Supreme Court in British Columbia Government [Public Service Employee Relations Commission] v. BCGSEU. The Ontario Court of Appeal heard Entrop prior to the release of the recent Supreme Court pronouncements on a revised human rights analytical framework, thus providing a further impetus to examine how EDT can justifiably be implemented according to traditional human rights principles embraced in the new unified approach. Courts should consider employee drug testing to be a practicable and legitimate employment rule that strives to maintain workplace safety and integrity. This conclusion is reached after examining the viable concerns over substance abuse, the various issues that are raised by employee drug testing, the role of human rights and Charter jurisprudence, and the preciseness of the polices\u27 language. The present pending appeal before the Ontario Court of Appeal in Entrop presents a unique opportunity for the judiciary to set out guidelines as to the permissible means of drug testing, the responsibilities of employers and employees, and how testing can be legally upheld under statutory and common law. Employee drug testing is unquestionably an invasion of employees\u27 privacy. But it is also a proactive approach to a pressing issue that confronts the workplace and society at large. Employee assistance programs are a valuable component in an employer\u27s strategy to maintaining a healthy workforce and a safe work environment. But these programs alone are simply not sufficient to combat the danger of substance abuse in the workplace. Unions and management must work together to implement testing policies that meet the changing virtues and vices of contemporary Canadian society in order to accommodate employees\u27 needs

Employee Drug Testing: Orwellian Vision or Pragmatic Approach to Problems in the Workforce

Until very recently, there has been no case law considering the legitimacy of employee drug testing under Human Rights legislation or the permissibility of drug testing policies and what they should stipulate. In light of two relatively recent cases, Entrop v. Imperial Oil and Toronto-Dominion Bank v. Canadian Human Rights Commission and Canadian Civil Liberties Association, a re-examination of the legitimacy of employee drug testing is warranted, along with the arguments concerning what the policies should target and how they should be implemented. Furthermore, the EDT jurisprudence exemplifies the discrepancies in the human rights framework, as articulated by the Supreme Court in British Columbia Government [Public Service Employee Relations Commission] v. BCGSEU. The Ontario Court of Appeal heard Entrop prior to the release of the recent Supreme Court pronouncements on a revised human rights analytical framework, thus providing a further impetus to examine how EDT can justifiably be implemented according to traditional human rights principles embraced in the new unified approach. Courts should consider employee drug testing to be a practicable and legitimate employment rule that strives to maintain workplace safety and integrity. This conclusion is reached after examining the viable concerns over substance abuse, the various issues that are raised by employee drug testing, the role of human rights and Charter jurisprudence, and the preciseness of the polices\u27 language. The present pending appeal before the Ontario Court of Appeal in Entrop presents a unique opportunity for the judiciary to set out guidelines as to the permissible means of drug testing, the responsibilities of employers and employees, and how testing can be legally upheld under statutory and common law. Employee drug testing is unquestionably an invasion of employees\u27 privacy. But it is also a proactive approach to a pressing issue that confronts the workplace and society at large. Employee assistance programs are a valuable component in an employer\u27s strategy to maintaining a healthy workforce and a safe work environment. But these programs alone are simply not sufficient to combat the danger of substance abuse in the workplace. Unions and management must work together to implement testing policies that meet the changing virtues and vices of contemporary Canadian society in order to accommodate employees\u27 needs