Ontario heavy machine operator fired for allegedly smoking pot at lunch gets job back

An arbitrator has ordered the immediate reinstatement of a heavy machine operator fired last summer from a “safety sensitive” plant in Toronto for allegedly getting high at lunch, then behaving in an “insolent” manner towards a senior manager after he was suspended pending investigation of cannabis use.

Joseph Sutton’s union, United Steelworkers Local 3950-65, grieved his July 8, 2025, discharge from MSC Toronto, a plant that specializes in producing custom coil-coated steel products that operates as Continuous Colour Coat Limited.