Pot shop ‘opt out’ sparks debate in Burlington
Mayoral candidates differ on banning dispensaries — at least initially
BURLINGTON — The debate of whether to ban storefront cannabis dealers within municipal borders is suddenly ablaze.
Mayoral candidates in Burlington are presenting their cases for taking the province up — or not — on its one-time “opt-out” offer.
Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have said municipalities will have until Jan. 22 to decide if they want to ban dispensaries from their territories.
After that, however, it will be open season as Ontario paves the way for legal private pot shops come April 1.
Rick Goldring, Burlington’s incumbent mayoral candidate, says the city should opt out and examine how other municipalities sort through the still-hazy provincial regulations.
“I don’t think we should rush in,” he said Thursday, citing uncertainty around licensing, zoning and enforcement.
Goldring, who’s seeking a third term, said he wants the next council to spend three to six months watching how opt-in municipalities fare rather than have the city serve as the “guinea pig.”
That, says one of his competitors, is a “cop out.”
Marianne Meed Ward argued Burlington must react quickly for the inevitable. “Not bury our head in the sand.”
The Ward 2 councillor said she’s heard many residents voice support for legal cannabis outlets while out door-knocking.
“I think we’ve got to end the stigma. There are folks in our community that are keeping quiet about this.”
Mike Wallace, also in the mayoral race, says Burlington should opt out, “but only temporarily,” similar to Goldring’s stance.
Wallace also wants time to iron out issues, such as zoning, but to opt back in “once we have all our ducks in order,” ideally by the fall of 2019.
That will include gathering public feedback, the former MP and councillor said, an exercise Meed Ward and Goldring also advocate.
Meed Ward, however, argues the leg work, including zoning, can be done in time for the province’s rollout of pot shops.
“If we want to protect our own city, let’s get in front of this; this is coming.”
The province will only allow online sales through the government’s Ontario Cannabis Retail Corp. starting Oct. 17, when recreational marijuana becomes legal across Canada.
Private retail outlets won’t be permitted until April 1 in Ontario. On Wednesday, the province announced it would not cap their number.
The government introduced legislation Thursday, however, that gives Ontario officials the right to set “concentration limits” on stores in certain areas. The province would also be able to set buffers between pot shops
and schools.
Those operating illegal outlets after Oct. 17 will be precluded from ever having a licence, the province says.
Burlington mayoral candidate Greg Woodruff doesn’t see the rollout as overly complex.
“I’m not worried about the world coming to an end on this.”
Woodruff suggested licensing would just “regularize” the weed commerce that already exists.
“I don’t want to alarm anyone, but there may be cannabis use in Burlington currently,” he joked.
In Halton Region, which includes Burlington, 43 per cent of residents over the age of 12 have reported using cannabis. Nevertheless, Halton police say there are no illegal dispensaries in the region.
That’s a far cry from Steeltown, where there are more than 80 operating, notes Ken Leendertse, Hamilton’s licensing director.
He said staff plan to present the next council with a report on the opt-out option Dec. 11.
Should council decide to forgo Ford’s one-time offer, there’s plenty of time to prepare for the advent of legal pot shops come April 1, Leendertse said.
“We’ve always been of the belief that if you can licence, you can control, and that way you can establish what you want in a community. You can establish some rules and you can hold them accountable.”
Hamilton mayoral candidates Fred Eisenberger and Vito Sgro have diverging views on opting out.
Eisenberger, who’s seeking a second consecutive term as mayor, said the city shouldn’t hesitate to jump in.
“It’s going to be a legal industry and I see no reasons why we would not participate in that legal industry ...”
However, there are still “many things that need to be done to ensure there is no harm to the community.”
Eisenberger pointed to the ability to control locations via radial separation to protect schools and kids, public health campaigns to educate residents about health risks, and “appropriate policing” to crack down on illegal and unsafe operators.
Sgro says he’s not averse to opting out to allow the next council time to hear from the public on the issue.
But he added it would be “hypocritical” to allow alcohol sales while relegating weed to the black market.
“One of the reasons you should not opt out is you will kill the underground market.”
But some municipalities have already decided to do just that. This week, Norfolk County voted to ban legal pot shops.
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“One of the reasons you should not opt out is you will kill the underground market.” VITO SGRO
Hamilton mayoral candidate