Construction in a portion of the tunnel for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT was shut down over safety concerns Wednesday after a resident complained she saw three employees working on the project smoking marijuana, the Star has learned.

Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency in charge of the Crosstown, and Crosslinx, the private consortium delivering the $5.3-billion project, confirmed that a resident told a nearby parking enforcement officer that she saw three workers smoking marijuana near her house, which is close to an emergency exit at Eglinton Ave. East and Bayview Ave. that crews use to access the tunnel.

The resident claimed she saw the workers smoking pot Wednesday morning, and again around lunch time.

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According to Crosslinx spokesperson Kristin Jenkins, as soon as the site supervisor learned of the incident he ordered all work shut down. The entire crew of about 25 people was sent home, she said.

“We take this very seriously. We have zero tolerance for any kind of consumption of drugs or alcohol on the job,” said Jenkins, who couldn’t immediately provide details of the work the crew was performing Wednesday.

She said the penalty for using drugs or alcohol on the job is “immediate termination.”

Crosslinx’s investigation into the incident is ongoing and the workers allegedly involved have not been identified. The company has ordered all workers to take their breaks on-site from now on, Jenkins said, and deployed additional security to the area. The suspended work resumed Thursday morning.

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Jason Ottey, a spokesperson for Liuna Local 183, the union representing the workers, declined to answer questions about whether the union was concerned about the allegations. He said there was a “safety stand down” at the site but to his knowledge workers had not been sent home.

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Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins called the incident “shocking.”

“That’s something that we are taking extremely seriously,” she said.

“It was completely irresponsible, against all of our fit-for-duty policies and our commitment to safety ... We expect our contractors to respond appropriately, immediately, and swiftly to any allegation like this. They must follow all applicable health and safety legislation.”

In a statement, Transportation Minister Kathryn McGarry also condemned the incident.

“This type of behaviour is absolutely unacceptable. I expect that Crosslinx will conduct a thorough investigation and they are well aware that this behaviour will not be tolerated,” she said, adding that “safety is always our number one priority.”

Industry associations and workplace safety groups have raised concerns that on-the-job drug use by construction workers is a problem that will only be exacerbated by the legalization of cannabis later this year.

In a July 2017 submission to the provincial government’s consultations on legalization, the Ontario General Contractors Association said the construction industry “has a significant problem” with employees’ drug and alcohol use, which “impairs their productivity, gross motor skills, awareness and judgment.”

The agency said legalization will “significantly increase usage, leading to a spike in workplace injury and fatalities.”

Jenkins said in light of Wednesday’s incident, Crosslinx has decided to accelerate its introduction of an education campaign to tell workers that legalization doesn’t change its policies about on-the-job drug use.