PC minister defends plan to allow public pot smoking

Reversal from Liberals’ decision draws criticism from opposition

Ontario’s finance minister is defending his plan allowing adults to smoke marijuana anywhere it’s legal to light up cigarettes as the province prepares for 500 to 1,000 private cannabis stores to open starting next spring.

The dramatic reversal from the previous Liberal government’s decision to outlaw pot smoking in public followed a summer of consultations with police, health officials, municipalities and First Nations, Vic Fedeli said Thursday.

“We’ve all come to the conclusion that mirroring the Smoke Free Ontario Act is the best way to do this,” added Fedeli, who introduced the proposed Cannabis Statute Law Amendment Act outlining how the province’s market will unfold once recreational marijuana is legalized across Canada on Oct. 17.

“Marijuana is in the same form as smoking a cigarette.”

Opposition parties said they fear wide-open marijuana smoking will make Ontario the wild west of weed.

They raised concerns about people toking on beaches, playgrounds and park benches, and irritating others with potentially harmful fumes.

“I guess the government’s not concerned about that, which is quite surprising, frankly,” said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

“Our concern has always been ... making sure that children and young people are not exposed to or encouraged to take the path to marijuana.”

Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser criticized Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives for abandoning the “cautious approach” his party had taken before its election defeat on June 7.

“I don’t want somebody sparking up, lighting a joint next to me and my grandkids,” Fraser said. “It’s not good from a health perspective. I don’t think that’s what reasonable Ontarians expect.”

Fedeli said municipalities would have the power to pass bylaws restricting where people can smoke. North Bay, for example, where Fedeli once served as mayor, bans lighting up in parks and at baseball diamonds.

“I think this will evolve over time where common sense and decency will take over ... people will understand the courtesies,” he predicted.

The prospect of different smoking regulations from one city to another risks creating a “patchwork” of different laws the Smoke Free Ontario Act was designed to fix, said Liberal MPP Nathalie Des Rosiers.

“I think it’s a cowardly approach to take,” she charged.

The finance minister evaded a question on whether allowing pot smoking in public is a precursor to relaxing laws on drinking in public, saying the government has its hands full with cannabis regulation.

Fraser maintained the marijuana move raises other questions on the future of the uses of controlled substances.

“You can smoke a joint on the beach but you can’t drink . . . I think the rules should at least be similar because we’re talking about substances that are, basically, intoxicants,” said the MPP for Ottawa South. “There’s a reason that we didn’t have drinking in parks because we don’t want people to be publicly intoxicated. It gives us some control, and there’s places people can go.”

Green Leader Mike Schreiner suggested special “cannabis bars” where tokers can partake of their habit.

“I’d much rather have cannabis use in a location like that than on a park bench with a lot of kids playing around,” Schreiner said. “Already there’s a lot of misuse of cannabis even before it’s legal. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like when it’s legal.”

At a background briefing, senior bureaucrats said the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario — which will screen applications for private pot stores — is expecting as many as 1,000 shops to be approved.

By way of comparison, there are now 660 Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores in the province.

“There will, I’m sure, be a lot of applications,” said Attorney General Caroline Mulroney.

Critics questioned whether the government will have enough staff to scrutinize applications and inspect pot shops, given Ford’s order last summer for a public sector hiring freeze.

Officials said prospective store owners will be able to submit applications in December, with eligibility criteria still to be set by regulation once Ford’s majority government passes the new legislation.

The agency will also set operating parameters, such as store formats, security requirements and staff training standards.

Municipalities deciding to bar pot stores within their boundaries by the Jan. 22 deadline will be allowed to reverse course later, but once a city or town chooses to sign up for cannabis stores there is no turning back, according to the legislation.