workplace protections under the Canada Labour Code. The act applies only to interns working for organizations like banks, mobile network operators, airlines and the federal government. Information from the Canadian Intern Association says the bill, if passed, will extend employment standards and workplace protections to interns. The act will also set rules and conditions around whether educational or equivalent training is permissible for unpaid internships. “The internship must be educational (post-secondary or equivalent), primarily benefit the intern and not replace paid employees,” the information states. “Employers must notify the intern of the terms of the internship, including duration, hours, type of activities and that they will not be paid, and keep records of the hours worked.”
MONTREAL BOOSTS CABBIE SAFETY MONTREAL — Montreal’s taxi sector has
adopted new policies that will beef up driver safety by equipping cabs with se-
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curity devices. Montreal mayor Denis Coderre made the announcement at a meeting with drivers, business owners and other stakeholders in the industry on June 30. The changes, which took effect in August, were spurred by a report released by the municipal government’s taxi commission in May. The report made 21 recommendations focusing on the safety of drivers and customers, modernizing the industry and funding. Among the recommendations were the mandatory installation of security cameras in all cabs, equipping cameras with black boxes accessible only to police officers and installing GPS locators that would enable dispatching centres to track taxis. Aref Salem, the city’s transportation official, says the commission is working on scenarios for funding to support the implementation of measures and reduce the financial burden on members. The mayor’s office confirms the security measures are in response to the death of Montreal cab driver Ziad Bouzid, who was murdered by a passenger last No-
vember. Mayor Coderre says the new security measures are expected to raise the standard of the city’s taxi industry.
RAILWAY PROTESTS DECISION MONTREAL — Canadian Pacific Railway
Limited (CP) says it will be asking the Superior Court of Quebec to stay a recent arbitration decision, which ruled that a locomotive engineer who used cocaine had to be reinstated. The July 14 decision from the Canadian Railway Office of Arbitration and Dispute Resolution ordered CP to reinstate the worker, without loss of seniority and without compensation for any wages or benefits lost. Arbitrator Michel Picher also ordered the employee to be subjected to random drug and alcohol testing for two years following his return to work. The case dates back to December 27, 2012, when the locomotive engineer tested positive for cocaine while working at the company’s Saint Luc Yard in Montreal. On that day, the worker’s train ran through a main line crossover switch,
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