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Subsequent 45-minute roundtable will explore other private fleet challenges, best practices

Oakville, ON –A well-known physician in the occupational health field will deliver a seminar October 22nd aimed at helping employers address the increasingly complex workplace problems created by Canada’s evolving medical marijuana industry.With the transportation industry making up approximately 5 percent of Canada’s workforce and authorized use of medical marijuana expected to explode due to recent federal regulatory changes, more than 22,000 commercial motor vehicle operators in Canada could be medically authorized to use marijuana by 2024. This will have serious implications for safety sensitive industries.
We will explore the issues and provide guidance to employers during the seminar, Medical Marijuana and the Workplace. Hosted by the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada and put on by DriverCheck, Medical Marijuana and the Workplace will be presented by Dr. Barry Kurtzer, a physician with more than 30 years of experience providing occupational health programs to employers. This session will cover the following:
1.How Canada’s federal medical marijuana regulatory changes could impact the transportation industry.
Medical Qualification to drive issues as per the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA).
2.The health benefits and risks of using medical marijuana, including impact of medical marijuana on driving and workplace safety.
Unique considerations (including case examples) of workers in safety-sensitive jobs who use medical marijuana.
3.The Game Plan for Employers, including considerations around policy, supervisor training, and job physical demands analysis/safety impact evaluations.
4.Immediately following that seminar, three prominent private fleet managers will participate in a general roundtable discussion about other industry challenges and best practices. This session will be moderated by John G. Smith, the publisher and editor of Private Motor Carrier magazine.
5.“Both of these sessions will deliver valuable information to any business involved in private trucking,” says Mike Millian, PMTC president. “Our members are well known for their frank and open observations about the state of the industry, and for sharing the best practices that they successfully employ every day.”
Date: October 22nd, 2015
Time: Medical Marijuana from 1pm to 3pm
Private Fleet Issues RoundTable 3:15 to 4
Location: Mississauga, On. Address will be provided upon registration
Cost: $25 for PMTC members, $100 for non-PMTC members
$25 from each registration will be directed towards the PMTC Young Leaders Program.

For more information or to register for this session, contact Vanessa Cox at info@pmtc.ca, or at 905-827-0587. Space is limited so register early so you don’t miss out.
About the Presenter:
Dr. Barry Kurtzer, BSc, MD, MRO
Dr. Kurtzer is DriverCheck’s Medical Director and Chief Medical Review Officer. He has practiced Occupational Medicine since 1977, running a full-scale occupational health clinic in Ontario for 15 years. He also worked as Medical Director for several large and small corporations alike, and has served as Chair of the Medical Advisory Group at Toronto-Pearson International Airport, and Occupational Medicine Consultant to the Government of Ontario’s workforce. In addition to occupational health, Dr. Kurtzer has provided Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs and services to Canadian business and industry since 1977, including the introduction of U.S. DOT regulatory testing programs to Canada’s trucking sector in 1996. His experience in expert witness testimony and consultation is extensive. Dr. Kurtzer has testified at arbitration hearings, court cases, Labour Relations Board hearings, and Human Rights Commission hearings, and has provided expert written submissions to Child Custody courts, Workers’ Compensation Boards, and private companies in preparation for hearings of various types. Dr. Kurtzer also sits on the Executive Committee of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Section of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA).

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