Saskatchewan bill named for slain man would protect late night workers

REGINA — The Saskatchewan NDP has introduced a bill in the legislature aimed at protecting late-night workers. The bill is called Jimmy's Law, named for Jimmy Wiebe, who was shot while working alone in a Yorkton gas station in June 2011.

The person responsible for the shooting, Kyle Furness, 21, was sentenced Dec. 8 to life in prison with no chance of parole for 12 years.

The bill would be an amendment to the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The changes would require employers to schedule a minimum of two employees for late-night shifts or ensure that workers are safe behind locked doors or barriers.

The bill could be passed when the legislature resumes sitting in the spring.

"With so much being done on worker safety, this brief session of the legislature shouldn't pass without putting a draft of Jimmy's Law on the table," said David Forbes, the NDP critic for labour who sponsored the bill.