01-08-2019, 10:08 AM
Retail cannabis: The $15-million question
Quote:Waterloo Region's municipalities have just two weeks left to decide if they want to ban legal cannabis shops from their communities.
After Jan. 22, any municipality that has not opted out of having private cannabis storefronts could get them by default. More than a dozen municipalities across the province have already told the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) they want no part in walk-in marijuana stores.
Locally, Waterloo Region's municipalities are officially still undecided — although most appear to be leaning in favour of allowing the stores, while two rural townships say they're not so sure.
Quote:The Township of Wellesley will be the first municipality in the region to weigh the cannabis shop question. The township's council is scheduled to debate the issue Tuesday night, with municipal staff recommending they vote in favour.
Quote:The mayors of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge all support legal cannabis storefronts, and it's expected their councils will choose to allow pot shops. All three have framed the debate as an issue of public safety and restricting the black market.