Northern Ont. community considers allowing cannabis stores to open

Powassan considers allowing pot shops to open Powassan municipal councillors are mulling over a decision to allow cannabis retail stores to open in the municipality.

Powassan municipal council is considering allowing cannabis stores in the community.

At an Aug. 1 meeting, Coun. Randy Hall brought forward a motion to get more information on cannabis retail and how they operate in towns and cities.

"Just because I (brought) it up, doesn't mean I support it or am against it," Hall said.

"My job as a role on council is to bring stuff forward if somebody asks me to."

At the meeting, council heard from OPP that since the laws changed legalizing the drug, there has not been a "single issue" brought forward regarding cannabis stores within the policing jurisdiction.

George Smitherman, CEO of the Cannabis Council of Canada, said there is actually a public safety benefit to having regulated pot shops.

"Product that is being purchased in one of these shops has been thoroughly regulated,” Smitherman said.

“The products have been tested. So there can be no on-boarding of mold and pesticide, which are banned in the production of legal cannabis.”

When cannabis was legalized in 2018 by the federal government, the Ontario government allowed municipalities to opt in or out of opening privatized cannabis stores.

Powassan council chose to opt out.

"The rule was you could opt out and then opt back in at any time you wanted," said Retail Cannabis Council of Ontario president Adam Vassos.

"But once you opted in, you couldn't opt out and that scared away some of the municipalities."

Vassos said Mississauga opted out until just a few months ago. Within two months, there were only 20 retail cannabis store applications filed.

"The reality is that it's not going to create a frenzy of activity," said Vassos.

"Cannabis sales have peaked and the market is definitely saturated."

During the 2018 vote, Powassan Mayor Peter McIsaac did vote to allow pot shops to open. At the meeting, he acknowledged the ongoing debate.

"It's legal. There are rules where it can and cannot go," McIsaac said.

"The province has set those in place. I was on the record in 2018 and my opinion hasn't changed."

Councillors agreed to direct municipal staff to canvass surrounding communities where pot shops are open and bring a report back to council by Sept. 5.