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This is an abuse of the court system and exposes all Canadians working around equipment, and who are in potentially hazardous conditions, to greater danger.

A number of companies, such as Irving Oil Company and Teck Resources Co. have also fought for enhanced testing privileges, but Suncor has persisted and will go the distance, thanks to the commitment of its CEO Steve Williams.

“With a passion we are pursuing it,” he said in an interview. “Safety in the workplace is absolutely critical to us. We have a big work force and considerable risks, so it’s important we manage this.”

In 2012, Suncor’s random testing policy, for workers in safety-sensitive jobs, was first challenged by the union that represents about 3,000 of its workers. In 2014, the majority of an arbitration board ruled in favour of the union but then an Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench quashed the decision and that decision was upheld on appeal. This took years.

In 2017, Suncor prepared to implement random testing for a second time, but the union once again asked courts to block this until either the Supreme Court of Canada decides whether to give the union leave to appeal, or the matter is re-heard by a fresh arbitration panel.

“This has gone on for six years and I’m profoundly disappointed in the process and that we have not been able to test during this time,” said Williams. “Tragically, during that time, we have had workplace fatalities where drugs and alcohol were definitely involved. As a global oil company, we also have evidence that, in Denver, we can see how random testing has a positive impact.”