Press Release: Council Votes to Allow Cannabis Retail Stores

Ontario Cannabis Status Map: Click to Open Map

Survey Results & Follow Up Staff Report: Follow up On Cannabis Consultation

AGCO- OPTING OUT OF CANNABIS RETAIL STORES

Survey

The survey is now closed. 

A survey was conducted to gain feedback from residents, business owners and property owners related to whether retail cannabis should be permitted within the Town. The results of the survey and the follow-up cannabis staff report can be viewed at: https://www.thebluemountains.ca/document_viewer.cfm?event_doc=986

Email

If you would like to submit additional comments outside of the scope of the survey, please use the contact information on this page. 

Public Information Session & Public Meeting

Public information sessions and a public meeting were scheduled for the following dates/times: 

Recreational Cannabis was legalized on October 17th, 2018 by the Federal Government of Canada.

• In Ontario, currently the only method of legally purchasing recreational Cannabis is online through the Ontario Cannabis Store.
• Currently, recreational cannabis may be consumed where smoking tobacco is permitted under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act. Municipalities have the ability to place further use restrictions above the Provincial standards.
• In April 2019, the Province of Ontario plans to permit the sale of recreational Cannabis through privately owned retail stores. These stores and their operators will be licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).
• A recent update to the Provincial legislation indicates that only 25 licenses will be in effect at any one time across the province until otherwise determined by the Province. For the purposes of licence allocation, the province has been divided into 'mega-regions'. The Town of The Blue Mountains is part of the West Region, which has been allocated seven (7) retail store authorizations for the entire region. Until such time as more than 25 store authorizations are permitted, Cannabis Retail Stores are not permitted in municipalities with a population of less than 50,000.

The Province of Ontario has given each Municipality an opportunity to opt-out of or opt-in to allow private recreational Cannabis retail stores within their municipal boundaries. The Town of Blue Mountains Council must make a decision by the January 22nd, 2019 deadline, or the default position of “opting-in” will be automatically set. 

• If Council decides to ‘Opt-Out’, then Cannabis retail stores will not be permitted in the Town of The Blue Mountains. In addition, the Town will not be eligible for additional provincial funding related to the legislation. However, municipalities that opt-out on or before the January 22nd, 2019 deadline, can choose to opt-in at a later date but they will not be eligible for the Provincial funding offered to municipalities that opted-in before the deadline. A decision to opt back in after the deadline has passed is final. 

• If Council decides to ‘Opt-In’, then Cannabis retail stores would be permitted to operate within the Town boundaries, subject to licensing by the AGCO. If Council decides to ‘Opt-In’ the decision cannot be reversed to prohibit retail Cannabis outlets later on.

If you would like to read additional information related to recreational Cannabis, please visit the following websites:

https://www.agco.ca/cannabis-retail-regulation-facts
https://www.ontario.ca/page/cannabis-legalization
https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/Your-Health/Alcohol-and-Other-Drugs/Cannabis
https://www.amo.on.ca/AMO-Content/Policy-Updates/2018/CannabisImplementation