Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/383926
6 Fall 2014 Doing Business in AtlAntic cAnADA Accord Acts 1 . The regulatory bodies in NL and NS (the Canada Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (the "CNLOPB") and the Canada- Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board ("CNSOPB"), respectively) govern most aspects of exploration and development of the offshore in each jurisdiction. The goal of this brief article is to outline key labour and employment issues associated with such develop- ment. reLevAnt LABour And eMPLoyMent LegisLAtion Under the Accord Acts, work carried out on offshore mar- ine installations or structures is subject to the "social legislation" of the province. "Social legislation" in- cludes the conventional workplace legislation such as the Labour Standards Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Workplace Heath Safety Compensation Act ("workers' compensation"), and the Labour Rela- tions Act. While provincial occupational health and safety legislation applies, the federal government also man- Stephen Penney and Rebecca Saturley T he offshore oil and gas industry in Atlantic Canada has drawn interest from international operators, with three production projects in New- foundland and Labrador ("NL") - Hibernia, Terra Nova and White Rose and one production project in Nova Scotia ("NS") - the Sable Offshore Energy Project. Given that there are other potential projects in varying stages of exploration, the offshore industry is certain to grow. Importantly, with such growth comes an even big- ger demand to understand and properly apply sound labour and employment practices. This task is complicated because the offshore work- place requires an understanding of complex and over- lapping regulatory regimes that engage both federal and provincial jurisdiction. Specifi cally, offshore oil and gas exploration and development is jointly man- aged by the provincial, as well as federal, governments through parallel legislation, commonly known as the the exPAnding AtLAntic cAnAdA offshore industry: groWing offshore Without going offside