Canadian Occupational Safety

U P F R O N T Canada Goose giving employees 'vaccination leave' Performance apparel manufacturer Canada Goose will give all its employees up to four hours paid leave to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. "I believe that as vaccinations ramp up, and as global supply continues to increase, we have entered a new, hopeful phase in our global fight against COVID-19," says Dani Reiss, president & CEO of Canada Goose. The employer will also provide all its employees across its global operations access to on-demand information regarding COVID-19 vaccines. It is also appointing a medical professional to respond to workers' questions about the vaccine. Alberta invests in training for commercial drivers Alberta is investing $5 million through the Driving Back to Work grant program to help train commercial Class 1 or tractor-trailer drivers. The program will cover up to 90 per cent of the cost of Mandatory Entry-Level Training (MELT) to help eligible unemployed Albertans get their Class 1 commercial truck driver's licence and pursue careers as professional truck drivers. "We've heard the trucking industry's concerns on driver shortages and costs loud and clear," said Ric McIver, minister of transportation. The industry has warned of a potential shortage of 3,600 commercial truck drivers in Alberta by 2023. "The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on many challenges for the food processing industry. We are here to support our essential food workers." Marie-Claude Bibeau Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-food THE federal government is investing $2.6 million through the Emergency Processing Fund (EPF) to help 40 food processing plants in Nova Scotia adopt measures that would protect workers from COVID-19. "The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on many challenges for the food processing industry. We are here to support our essential food workers, who continue to provide Canadians access to a secure food supply," said Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of agriculture and agri-food. "Through the Emergency Processing Fund, we are giving businesses the support they need to keep their employees safe and our food systems running strong." Recipients can use the finding to enable social distancing, purchase reusable personal protective equipment (PPE), install protective barriers and develop employee training. One of the recipients is Kentville- based Ocean Crisp Apple Company Inc., one of the largest single suppliers of premium variety apples in Nova Scotia, which will get up to $100,000. "Ocean Crisp appreciates the Government of Canada establishing a program to help companies like ours invest in technology that is going to lessen risk to our employees during COVID-19, but [it] also serves as a longer-term innovation investment that will continue to support our efforts in providing quality apples to our customers around the world," said Blake Sarsfield, president of the company. In 2019, nearly $2.5 million in federal funding was announced for Ocean Crisp Apple Company Inc. to purchase and install advanced apple processing technologies to increase capacity, improve efficiency and reduce water usage. Agri-food Nova Scotia has more than 2,000 agri-food and beverage production companies with approximately 12,000 jobs linked to the industry. "The agriculture and agri-food sector is crucially important to rural economies across the country, and Nova Scotia is no different," said Kody Blois, member of parliament for Kings-Hants in Nova Scotia. "The funding announced today is helping many local businesses adapt their operations to help safeguard workers against COVID-19, but it is also an innovation investment to ensure they can continue to remain competitive in putting food on the shelf across Canada and across the world." Launched in June 2020, the $77.5-million Emergency Processing Fund is helping food processors implement measures to protect the health and safety of workers and their families in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on supporting meat processing facilities in Canada. The fund also supports facility upgrades to help strengthen Canada's food supply. A further $10 million is expected to be allocated from internal funds. FEDS TO SUPPORT AGRI-FOOD WORKERS IN NOVA SCOTIA 'The funding is helping many local businesses adapt their operations to help safeguard workers against COVID-19' W O R K P L A C E N E W S www.thesafetymag.com/ca 5

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