Brantford city councillors say no to retail cannabis stores

Brantford city councillors voted 7-4 Tuesday night to opt out of permitting legal cannabis stores to operate within the municipality.

They also voted in favour of having staff monitor the experiences of other municipalities and report back to council prior to November.

“The province needs to improve the system and the question is how do you get a better system,” said Mayor Kevin Davis, who voted to opt out. “The way you do it is to opt out temporarily and try to get a better deal.

“There are other municipalities that have opted out and there is a lot of power in those areas and the province has to listen to them.”

The list of municipalities that have opted out include Markham, Milton, Mississauga, Newmarket, Oakville, Pickering, Richmond Hill and Whitby, said Davis, who handed out a list and a map to councillors prior to the meeting.

“I’ve spoken to the mayors of those municipalities and they’re concerns about what other changes might happen,” Davis said.

“We need to show the province they need to consult with us.”

Joining the mayor were councillors Jan Vanderstelt, John Utley, John Sless, Dan McCreary, Greg Martin and Richard Carpenter,

In favour of opting in were councillors Cheryl Antoski, Rick Weaver, Brian Van Tilborg and Joshua Wall.

McMcCreary said he thinks the mayor is right.

“We will have it (cannabis retail stores) here at some point but we need to have them on our terms,” he said.

“I’m worried most about the buffer zones and the harmful impact of marijuana on young brains.”

The buffer zone refers to the 150 metres separating cannabis stores from schools. McCreary and others said they believe the buffer zone needs to be bigger.

Wall referred to a survey on the issue conducted by the city that found a majority of respondents want the city to allow retail cannabis stores in the municipality.

“No one elected me to do what I want to do,” he said.

“They elected me to do what they want they want me to do. Our community is saying loud and clear they want us to opt in.”

Antoski said she voted to opt in based on the survey results.

“Just because we don’t like the answers doesn’t mean the answers are irrelevant.”

A week ago, councillors voted to defer a decision on the issue, while their counterparts in Brant County narrowly decided to opt in.

The province’s deadline for municipalities to opt out is Jan. 22.

Ontario’s first 25 licences for privately-owned cannabis retail stores with physical locations go into effect at the start of April.

Municipalities who opt in stand to receive thousands of dollars in additional government funding: A greater share of the $40 million that Ontario is providing over two years for municipalities in relation to cannabis retail, and a portion of the federal excise duty on cannabis.

Vball@postmedia.com

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