The campaign for Jimmy's Law, named in honor of Jimmy Ray Wiebe, who was murdered in Yorkton in 2011, has lead to some changes for late night business. Bill 23 is introducing new initiatives to protect overnight workers.
While the original law as proposed included having two employees required at all times, the law which is being passed is using alternate methods to achieve the same ends. The new regulations for late-night retail premises include safe cash handling procedures, use of video cameras, and the provision of good visibility and signage for all late-night retail premises.
In addition, the regulations will require a check-in system and personal emergency transmitters to be provided to all workers working alone in late-night retail establishments.
Aaron Nagy has been working towards getting the increased protection in place, and he says that the law is an effective compromise and will achieve the goals he intended to meet, and protect those who are working overnight.
"I've very satisfied with what we have right now with the regulations and how it went so far, but it's just a start," Nagy says.
Encouraged by this step, Nagy says he's also confident that the government will continue to examine best practices in the retail field to continue to make things safer for employees. He says that so long as retail workers are in danger, laws like this will have to adapt.
"We can't prepare and regulate for everything because we can't think of these worst case scenarios until, unfortunately, something happens. That's when you realize what you need to do to protect your workers, or some of the hazards out there you may not have thought of," Nagy says.
He also says that the bill demonstrates the power of a good idea that needs to be enacted, since the bill began as a private member's bill introduced by the NDP. Nagy believes it worked because the need for increased protection transcended political lines.
"It's an amazing thing that happened here. You have the NDP that came up with the idea, then from there the Sask Party realized it was a good idea. They worked together, David Forbes and Don Morgan, found some common ground, to make a idea come to fruition, and the end result is workers will be safer," Nagy says.
Businesses will have 60 days to comply with the regulations, with enforcement beginning in January 1.
