Brampton Wants To Hear from You About Cannabis
Published October 31, 2018 at 2:21 pm
It’s been about two weeks since Canada officially allowed legal cannabis to be sold across the country.
It’s been about two weeks since Canada officially allowed legal cannabis to be sold across the country. In Ontario, the Ontario Cannabis Store is only taking online orders, until around April 2019 when brick and mortar stores are allowed to open.
In the meantime, various municipalities are grappling with how to deal with the legal cannabis issue. Some cities are debating whether to opt out of having stores and others, such as Markham, recently passed a bylaw to restrict cannabis use to ‘private residences’.
Now the City of Brampton wants to hear from you on this important issue.
The city is asking residents for their opinion on whether or not cannabis retail stores should be allowed to operate in Brampton. A telephone survey and an online public poll about cannabis retail stores will seek input from the public to help inform the incoming new city council.
The telephone survey is being conducted by polling firm Environics, with a sample size of 800 Brampton residents representing different demographics. The online poll closes at 11:59 pm on Friday, November 9.
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Results of both the telephone survey and online poll will form one of many components in a staff report to be presented to city council on December 5 to help Brampton councillors make an informed decision.
But that hasn’t stopped incoming councillors from conducting their own public engagement on the issue for feedback. Ward 7 and 8 city councillor-elect Charmaine Williams even held a public meeting asking residents if the city should ban the sale of “recreational marijuana”, and should they be kept at a specific distance from schools.
One resident who attended Williams’ meeting raised these questions:
- What will be the policies around smoking in public, in business environments, patio’s etc.
- What role (if any) will the municipality have at the table with the province in legislating regulations and oversight? Risk Management will be vital to the protection of our children, youth and families.
- What role will the Region of Peel having, even if the city opts out or in?
- Who will be eligible to apply for a licence? What process will be implemented? What will the consequences be for those that violate the laws?
- What role will the School Boards have in governing safety in the school environment and surrounding communities?
- How do we get those involved in the city, region and business owners to understand fully the ccts in which govern these changes? Bill 36, Cannabis Licence Act 2017, Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation Act 2017, and the Smoke-Free Ontario Act 2017.
The City of Brampton has until January 22, 2019 to advise the province whether they are opting out of the cannabis regime. In the meantime, a lot of questions will need to be answered.
For more information about cannabis and retail stores, click here.
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