The majority of people polled in Centre Wellington say they would prefer that legal cannabis retailers be allowed to operate in the area, but a number of organizations are cautioning the township to opt out.
Centre Wellington council decides on Monday whether to allow cannabis retailers to operate within the township. Township staff have created a report to council with its recommendation to opt out of allowing the stores in the short-term and take a wait-and-see approach to possibly opt in to the stores at a later date.
Municipalities have been offered a one-time opportunity by the province to opt out of allowing recreational retail stores to operate in their jurisdiction. A municipality which opts out by Jan. 22 will be allowed to opt back in at a later date, but municipalities that opt in will not be allowed to opt out.
In a recent community survey offered to residents of Centre Wellington, more than 64 per cent of respondents said they were in favour of opting in and allowing cannabis retail in the township.
Of the 1,603 people surveyed, 33.4 per cent said they would prefer that the township opt out and not allow cannabis retailers in Centre Wellington. A little more than 2 per cent were undecided.
In a separate question, residents were asked how they would prefer to obtain legal cannabis, if they were to use it. Only 7 per cent said they would prefer to obtain it through the existing government web site, while 49.3 per cent said they would prefer to use private retail stores.
A further 5.6 per cent said they would prefer to grow their own, while 38.1 per cent said they do not plan to use recreational cannabis.
In a letter to township council, Upper Grand District School Board superintendent of education Gary Slater said the board is recommending that area municipalities opt out of allowing recreational cannabis retail stores ‘until there is a clearer understanding of the social and financial impacts of legalization of recreational cannabis and retail distribution’.
In a recent report, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) is also recommending that local municipalities take a wait-and-see approach to opting in.
“Since the decision to opt-in is final, and the impact of Ontario’s private retail model on communities is not yet known, WDGPH recommends monitoring the impacts in other communities before choosing to opt in” said the report.
Township staff has offered three options that will be decided by council on Monday: that Centre Wellington opt out of allowing recreational cannabis stores entirely, opt in to the stores, or to opt out but have council revisit the decision within a one year period.
Guelph/Eramosa council will decide in January whether to opt in or out of the program, while Guelph City Council will consider the matter at its Dec. 17 meeting.
