Manitoba proposes cannabis store safety rules on staffing, window coverings
The changes follow a sexual assault during a robbery and a union survey showing most workers feel unsafe.
WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government has introduced proposed amendments to allow cannabis retailers to remove window coverings and to set mandatory minimum staffing levels during certain hours.
The changes to the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act are aimed at addressing safety concerns for workers.
Under the legislation, the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba would have the power to establish the staffing rules to ensure workers are not alone when the risk of violence is higher.
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The province also wants to remove the requirement for cannabis retailers to cover their storefront windows.
“We’re finding that balance where we don’t want cannabis displayed in window fronts. We don’t want kids riding by and seeing cannabis and being enticed into trying a product that’s not appropriate for them, but at the same time, we have to prioritize worker safety,” said Justice Minister Matt Wiebe.
The proposed changes come after a Winnipeg cannabis store employee was sexually assaulted during a robbery in May.
This followed the release of a survey by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832, which found that only eight per cent of cannabis store workers felt safe at work at all times.
The survey prompted the union to call for new safety measures, including a ban on working alone and removing window coverings.
“Our union welcomes these first steps,” said UFCW Local 832 secretary-treasurer Marie Buchan. “Cannabis workers told us their top priority for safer workplaces was ensuring that no one is required to work alone, and we look forward to the LGCA’s implementation of the mandatory minimums.”
While labour advocates have welcomed the proposed changes, others in the industry say mandatory staffing requirements could put significant pressure on small, independent retailers.
“Many family-owned and independently operated stores simply cannot absorb the added labour costs the way large corporate chains can,” said Canadian cannabis advocate Steven Stairs.
John Arbuthnot, vice-president of commercial growth at FIKA Cannabis, shares those concerns.
“Our fear is the impact on small business, especially in the cannabis industry, could be drastic, when it comes to the difference between even one or two staff on,” Arbuthnot said.
He believes many smaller shops in Manitoba will be impacted by the move.
“You look at the industry in Manitoba; you obviously have high volume shops. You also have a lot of smaller independent shops that realistically cannot take on a second staff member, and still be profitable,” Arbuthnot said.
Stairs hopes the province will consider staffing requirements on a case-by-case basis.
“We want to encourage small, independent retailers to be here in this province, and for local tax dollars to be going to local employees and retail owners,” Stairs said.
Other provinces, including Ontario, have eliminated similar rules around window coverings to address safety concerns.
With files from BNN Bloomberg