There could be some lively debate at both Amherstburg Town Council and Windsor City Council Monday night over whether to opt-in on pot shops.
So far, six municipalities across Windsor-Essex have made a decision. Tecumseh, Lakeshore, and LaSalle councils decided to opt-out. Leamington, Kingsville and Essex want to opt-in.
The only municipality that will qualify to host a retail marijuana storefront now is Windsor.
Windsor and Amherstburg are waiting until the last minute since the deadline to notify the Alcohol and Gaming Commission to decline hosting pot shops is Tuesday, January 22.
Amherstburg Municipal Building seen on June 13, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
A report to Amherstburg Town Council recommends that town accept retail cannabis stores when it does qualify.
It said hosting the stores will ensure illegal shops do not open to meet public demand for legal cannabis and to discourage residents from driving elsewhere to visit a storefront.
The town has already received $11,733 in provincial funding to help with the cost of transitioning to legalized marijuana.
An administrative report in Windsor appears to suggest the city take a more cautious approach. Despite explicit public support, it cites the number of unknowns about the future of legalization for its rationale Windsor wait and see how retail marijuana businesses work in other cities.
Those unknowns are a concern at the Windsor Essex County Health Unit as well. It is expected to give councillors in Amherstburg a presentation including recommendations it wants to make to the province going forward.
The only restriction right now on the location of retail cannabis stores is that they be a minimum of 150 m from schools. Health officials would like to see that requirement pushed back to 500 m from any school, library, recreation centre, or any facility that caters to youth. It is also seeking a 500 m buffer from low-income housing, jails, clinics that treat addiction or mental health, and other cannabis stores, and restrictions on the number of stores allowed in one geographic area.
Both council meetings start at 6 p.m.
