Chamber to host discussion on pot

A panel discussion on the imminent legalization of cannabis hosted by the Cape Breton Regional Chamber of Commerce will review information pertinent to the business community.

The topics to be covered include the implications cannabis legalization will have on local businesses and steps business owners can take to prepare.

The obligations of employers to accommodate the new legislation, how medicinal cannabis should be treated compared to recreational pot and what are an employee’s rights in using cannabis will be some of the questions answered by the expert panel.

The panel discussion will be held on Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Sydney.

It will be moderated by CBC Cape Breton’s Wendy Bergfeldt, and the panelists include Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. senior vicepresident and chief operating officer Tim Pellerin, trial lawyer Guy LaFosse of LaFosse MacLeod, the Nova Scotia government’s senior director of inspection and compliance for Occupational Health and Safety Scott Nauss, Cape Breton Regional Police Chief Peter McIsaac, Headland Cultivation Company co-founder David Burton and Cape Breton University’s human resources director Patti Merrigan.

The provinces and territories are responsible for drafting their own rules for cannabis sales. Nova Scotia has outlined its rules and regulations online at https:// novascotia.ca/cannabis/.

Tickets for the panel discussion are available online www.sydneyareachamber.ca and on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite. ca /e /a-cannabis-conversation-what-your-business-needs-toknow-tickets-50169338843.

Cannabis legalization will take effect on Oct. 17.