Caledon opts out of hosting cannabis retail stores

Written By JOSHUA SANTOS

Caledon council has taken an impartial approach when hosting retail cannabis stores in the community. 

Councillors unanimously decided to opt out of hosting shops to set up at this time.Mayor Allan Thompson was absent from the meeting. He was in Toronto attending a mayor's conference.

“I am in complete support of staff's recommendation that the Town opt out at this time because this will allow further development of the legislation and controls, said Ward 5 Regional Coun. Annette Groves. I think there are too many uncertainties around it, too many I don't knows. I think the best thing to do is opt out at this time.”

At this time, the Ontario Cannabis Store's online website is the only place to purchase legal marijuana for recreational purposes. A licensed private retail store system for cannabis will launch on April 1, 2019, overseen by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

Had council decided to opt in at the meeting, they wouldn't be able to opt out later on. They can, however opt in at a later day.

The staff report notes the AGCO is responsible in conducting backgrounds checks and issue licences to all operators and managers of retail cannabis stores and authorizing the shops.

Stores cannot be located within 150 metres of the property line of a public and private school and will be required to comply with building and fire codes.

Proposed store locations must also post a notice of their intent to run a store. Municipalities and residents will have 15 days to file concerns with the AGCO during that period.

The Province has established the Ontario Cannabis Legalization Implementation Fund to distribute $40 million over two years to assist municipalities with the start-up costs of recreational cannabis stores.

The Town can only opt in or out. They will  now lose out on some funding from the Province.

“Once we learn more about how this is going to work, we have an opportunity to go in, said Groves. Once we go in, we have no opportunity to get out. I'm supporting the staff recommendation in opting out at this time to understand it and also to make sure the health and safety of the community is protected. I think we have a lot of work to do on this.”

Ward 2 Regional Coun. Johanna Downey agreed noting there is quite a bit of work to do at all levels of government on this issue. She would like to come together with other municipalities that have also opted out and use a collaborative approach when dealing with the province.

“I would suggest we do that whether under AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario) or an overarching board that we make ourselves available to be part of that collaboration.”

Ward 3 and 4 Regional Coun. Jennifer Innis said they have already done a lot of work with a joint committee through all three municipalities within the Region of Peel and staff.

“I think that will be a great way to continue to have a voice in continuing some of the work with that committee, which I know is an issue we'll have to take up with the Region, said Innis. I think that's at a level that we should be having those conversations.”

She says she understands the intentions of the federal government in wanting to eliminate the black market and making cannabis consumption safe.

“There's still a lot of issues with the way legislation is and a lot of uncertainties, said Innis. I don't think this is us saying no forever, I think this is us being cautious and doing our due diligence. There hasn't been enough time I don't think and enough consultation with this legislation right from the legalization federally right down to the decision we're making here today.

 “I see this as a cautionary pause that we're taking here and we're going to be discussing it further into the future and I look forward to have those discussions at the regional table as well.”

An open house presentation was set up in town hall from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. before the regular council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 18. A survey was also available online on the Town's website until Jan. 4 2019. 

In the survey, 31 per cent of respondents said they live in Ward 5, 22 per cent live in Ward 2 and 16 per cent live in Ward 1.

About 31 per cent of respondents said they strongly support cannabis stores, 25 said they support it and 25 per cent stated they strongly oppose.

Further, 41 per cent said they never used cannabis, 21 stated they have not used cannabis for recreational purposes, and 16 per cent have not used cannabis recently.

Additionally, 48 per cent said they do not expect to purchase cannabis in the near future, 32 per cent stated they plan to purchase it from a private physical retail store and about 10 per cent said they will buy it online through the Ontario Cannabis Store.

About 53 per cent of individuals said they support a retail cannabis store, 44 per cent said they oppose it and about 4 per cent said they are undecided.

The provincial government announced plans for a phased in approach to cannabis retail licensing due to a national supply shortage. 

A map in the council package showed schools in Caledon and areas zone for retail use.

Ontario's government will provide 25 licenses for operators to open their business on April 1.

The AGCO implemented a lottery system to determine who was eligible for the initial licenses to legally operate a store in Ontario. All interested parties submitted an expression of interest form online to the AGCO from Jan. 7 to Jan. 9.