Uncertainty, costs and questions over how likely Ottawa will be able to keep within the July 2018 deadline for marijuana legalization are the primary concerns for Stratford’s city council.
Mayor Dan Mathieson says it could be complicated and every level of government has a part to play.
Mathieson says as a positive Stratford has already reaped economic benefits with a medical marijuana facility in the community providing jobs.
He says council will have to tackle the local concerns, with a brunt of the regulation and framework staying on the province which must cope with the same deadline.
Municipalities and the provincial government are currently pushing for a greater share of the future tax revenue that legalization could bring in.
Stratford’s outgoing Chief of Police Mike Bellai says authorities across the country are coming up with ways to tackle the costs and extra training needed to enforce the new legislation.
Bellai says police are doing what they can to prepare as the province has set rules such as minimum age and how much a person can carry at any time.
He says legalization may not be as black and white as simply reallocating a drug unit to exempt cannabis, it means rather those resources will be shifted to improving public education, stepping up addiction services and working closer with the Perth District Health Unit.
Bellai says he’s concerned municipalities will likely be footing most of the bill for the equipment and the training in each community.
The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has raised similar concerns with the legislation’s timeline.
Many of these issues will now fall on Stratford’s Police Services Board along with newly appointed Acting Chief of Police Gerry Foster and Acting Deputy Chief Sam Theocharis.
Ontario has released its framework for legalization, setting the minimum age at 19, implementing online ordering at some point next year with plans to have 150 brick and mortar stores open across the province by 2020.
Our local MPP Randy Pettapiece says there’s a great deal of uncertainty not just from provincial officials in Ontario but across Canada when it comes to healthcare rules and regulations.
He says the health ministry is working with many moving parts such as hospitals, police, emergency services and public health.
The LCBO will be overseeing retail sales, however cannabis and alcohol will not be sold side-by-side.
Perth-Wellington MP John Nater is echoing those red flags dealing with how quickly Ottawa is looking to pass the legislation.
Nater says agencies and organizations such as the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the OPP, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and provincial health ministers have all expressed the same concerns over how quickly the legislation will be brought in.
He says the talks are ongoing over which levels of government will receive which cut of cannabis taxes and is concerned there will be more downloading of costs onto rural communities like those in the riding.
He says municipalities on average shoulder 60 per cent of policing costs but have thus-far been left out of the equation when it comes to sharing in the tax revenues.
Nater says Ottawa must make safe age limits, preparing police and public safety priorities as well as providing better support for provinces and municipalities.
Perth District Health Unit Public Health Manager Janet Jackson says addiction services are preparing for more widespread marijuana use.
Jackson says health units are hoping for tight regulations on use, maximum possession limit and the minimum age limit of 19 to remain in place from the province.
She says health units, Local Health Integration Networks, hospitals and with other healthcare agencies and organizations are a part of the process weighing in on how Ontario’s framework is being crafted.
The health unit is preparing to get pro-active with public education and working with local partners such as police and first responders.
She says something which hasn’t been tackled is also the impact of second hand smoke and if marijuana use will be wrapped into something like the Smoke-Free Ontario Act.
Although Ontario was the first province to unveil the framework for marijuana legalization, more is expected to be added to it which could provide answers for local agencies and government.
