Events

Upcoming events

21 Apr 2026

IWH Speaker Series

How businesses get their start in workplace health and safety: implications for research and policy

Lynda Robson, Institute for Work & Health

New businesses are too seldom the focus of occupational health and safety (OHS) research even though they may present risks to worker health and safety. To better understand how new businesses start engaging with OHS, a study team conducted a survey of owners of new Ontario businesses from diverse sectors. In this presentation, Dr. Lynda Robson shares results from the study. She discusses what study participants reported about their OHS management activities, OHS information sources, experiences with the Ontario OHS system, barriers to taking OHS actions, and preferences for receiving OHS information. The presentation also highlights factors associated with OHS management initiation, the value of applying a research-based behaviour change framework to the study, and the implications of the study for research and policy.

Past events

24 Feb 2026

IWH Speaker Series

Using cannabis to manage symptoms of work-related injuries: Experiences of injured workers in Ontario

Nancy Carnide, Institute for Work & Health

Governments around the world are increasingly making cannabis legal for medical and non-medical uses, and public interest in the therapeutic benefits of cannabis continues to grow. Pain, sleep difficulties, and poor mental health are among the most cited reasons for using cannabis therapeutically; they're also symptoms that are commonly associated with work-related injuries. Despite these parallels, little is known about workers’ experiences using cannabis after a work-related injury. In this presentation, Dr. Nancy Carnide will share findings from a series of qualitative interviews with workers who have sustained a work-related injury. She discusses their decisions to use cannabis, their perceptions of its impacts, and their experiences using cannabis while returning to work.

27 Jan 2026

IWH Speaker Series

Understanding PTSI program implementation processes in Alberta first responder organizations

Dwayne Van Eerd, Institute for Work & Health

Post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI) are common among police, firefighters and paramedics, leading to high rates of work disability in first responder organizations. Growing recognition of this problem has led these organizations to develop and implement PTSI disability prevention policies and programs. In this presentation, Dr. Dwayne Van Eerd shares findings from interviews conducted with first responders in Alberta. He discusses themes that emerged from implementation experiences, highlighting successes and challenges.

18 Nov 2025

IWH Speaker Series

AI adoption at work: Which worker and occupation groups are most likely to be affected?

Arif Jetha, Institute for Work & Health

The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) within Canada’s labour market can drive innovation and raise productivity. But the benefits of AI may vary according to the characteristics of workers and their occupations. In the absence of direct measures, examining the impact of AI on work and workers can be challenging. In this presentation, Dr. Arif Jetha discusses the use of different measures of “AI exposure” as a tool to study the technology’s impact on different groups of workers, who vary according to gender and educational attainment. The study also describes differences in the impact of AI according to occupational differences including job skill requirements and job quality. Insights from this presentation can be used to direct research attention and strategic responses towards occupations and worker groups most likely to be affected by AI.

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