E V ERY BODY 'S TA L K I N'
MARCH 2016 BCBUSINESS 61
Another day at the office, and Bob is toking
up in the bathroom again. He's got a permit
but still gets the stink eye from the boss.
Meanwhile Sheila is popping Tylenol 3s
for her chronic headaches, which nobody
seems to mind. Farid, who's blind, arrives
with his seeing eye dog, while Pamela, who
is anxiety-prone, has acquired a certificate
authorizing her fox terrier Muffy as a ser-
vice dog, too. Meanwhile Kim—that would
be Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis—won't
issue marriage licences to gay couples,
claiming it offends her religious beliefs.
Who among them deserves to have their
needs accommodated? And just what are
a B.C. employer's obligations to employees
with special requirements?
Recently the debate has been driven
by the issue of medical marijuana. In 2013
New Brunswick
RCMP corporal Ron Francis
appeared on
CBC TV smoking marijuana,
which he said he needed for
PTSD. It didn't
go over well. Cpl. Francis was ordered to
turn in his uniform, and then-justice minister
Peter MacKay later said he set "a poor exam-
ple for Canadians." In 2014 Francis commit-
ted suicide. The tragic case threw light on
the issue of just what employers are
obligated to do for employees with special
requirements.
Within
Reason
W
ILLUSTRATION: KENNY PARK
W a t e r c o o l e r
How far does an
employer have go to
meet the special needs
of an employee?
by Steve Burgess
INSIDE
Get "granular" ... Eat, drink and see art in Dallas-Fort Worth ... Anne McMullin plays the field + more
M A R C H 2 0 1 6
"If outsiders know anything
about the city, it's the twice-
daily cattle drive of 16 long-
horn cattle paraded down the
cobblestone street" –p.63
Off lıne
