PONDERING BENEFITS OF LEGAL MARIJUANA
Quebec municipalities seek piece of ‘pot pie’ as legalization creates potential challenges
With Canada’s legalization of cannabis slated for July 2018, municipalities in the Vaudreuil Soulanges region could find themselves with an additional source of revenue next year. They could find themselves with many additional expenses, too. As Quebec puts a claim on half of potential tax revenues related to sales, Quebec municipalities are demanding that one-third of that tax revenue be dedicated to them. The rationale for towns asking for their share is based on an assumption of increased costs for municipalities for law enforcement, urban planning and court costs according to the Union of Quebec Municipalities (UQM). What impact will cannabis legislation have on your Off-Island town starting next July? Will new revenues offset any related additional expenses related to legislation, or will green become the new gold for your town? Beyond a covering of expenses, what should your town do with any new monies should revenues exceed expenses? The proper management of municipal budgets is always a balancing act for councils and employees charged with appropriate and responsible administration. Given the timeline, are our local governments adequately prepared for next summer’s legalization? As residents and taxpayers, are we prepared to help guide and monitor as councils take on new responsibilities related to legal cannabis issues? Financial impacts aside, what other real and up-close issues will arise as a result of legalization? If you are a landlord or a tenant in an Off-Island town, will the legal right to light up create any new issues? Will consumption be allowed in municipal parks and in public areas? While areas prohibiting smoking are already designated and indicated in most places, will specific cannabis rules apply to those areas? If you are a local employer, how will you adjust as it relates to your employees? Will that smoke break now take on a whole new meaning? And what about growing your own? Can your town implement its own bylaws that might allow it, even if a province does not? Will you care if cannabis plants suddenly appear in yards, flower beds and balconies on your street? As it rolls along rapidly, cannabis legalization leaves (pardon the pun) most of us wondering just how it will impact us.
Post your comments online at montrealgazette.com/category/news/local-news/off-island-gazette.