MARIA TOEWS
Sentinel-Review
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After opting against retail pot shops in 2018, Ingersoll council is now revisiting the possibility of allowing cannabis retailers in town.
Some councilors, though, still had concerns about the province’s rules surrounding pot shops and their locations. Once a municipality opts in and allows retail cannabis, Coun. Brian Petrie noted at Monday’s council meeting, that municipality has effectively no say in how many stores are allowed and where they can be located.
“That’s the problem: Once you opt in, you have no say. They do not listen to anybody,” the councilor said. “What if they change the rules again and again? Once you say yes, you have no control.”
Kristy Van Kooten-Bossence raised the possibility that a pot shop, if permitted in Ingersoll, could open near the town’s popular Fusion Youth Center under the province’s regulations, which are overseen by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario
While cannabis retailers in Ontario are not permitted within 150 meters of a school, that doesn’t prevent shops from opening near other youth-oriented locations, Van Kooten-Bossence noted.
“I have a concern on how close it can be because it is not one of those things that we can regulate under the (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario),” she said.
Despite these concerns, others around the table were leaning towards opting in.
“It has been legalized for four or five years now. The checks and balances are in place now for sale to minors and, again, it’s a legal business,” Coun. Rick Eus said.
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Eus also suggested concerns about a pot shop possibly opening near the town’s youth center were just speculation.
“If they’re going to get it, they’re going to get it,” Eus said. “But the fact that we’re saying no because it might be close to the Fusion – there’s a lot of mights; there’s a lot of ifs and buts – but, at the end of the day, it’s a free-market society. Let’s let the market decide.”
The discussion was prompted by a staff report revisiting the issue that was brought forward as information. Ingersoll was one of four Oxford County municipalities that opted out, joining East Zorro-Tavistock, Blandford-Blenheim and Norwich Township in not allowing retail cannabis stores when the drug was legalized in October 2018. Since then, roughly 84 per cent of Ontario municipalities have eventually decided to allow pot shops, a decision that is permanent and irrevocable.
“I think at some point, we realize we’re going to wind up opting in. It’s here. It’s not going to disappear,” Coun. Gordon Lesser said.
Again, Petrie said his critical concern wasn’t where these stores might open in Ingersoll but more about how the government is regulating them.
“To tell you the truth, it doesn’t matter where (a store is located). Kids are going to see it. These stores are flashy. They have the stuff. And that’s not my problem … it’s a legal product – so is alcohol – but (alcohol is) regulated a whole lot more than the way they went with marijuana,” he said.
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“We’re talking about something that was once a completely illegal substance and now it’s a free-for-all on stores.”
When cannabis was first legalized, Ontario initially used a lottery licensing system that limited the number of stores in the province and controlled where they were opened. By 2020, the Ontario government began moving away from that approach, embracing more of an open market that removed the cap on the number of permitted stores. As long as an individual pays a fee for a permit and is approved after being screened by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, they can own and operate a pot shop.
“I don’t care if people smoke. It’s not about that. It’s about the ability to regulate within our borders and the ability of the government not to regulate. They’re just giving a free for all, which I don’t believe is the right approach and I think it’d be detrimental to Ingersoll,” Petrie said.
“I would like to see us take a cautious approach. This is still a very new industry,” Petrie added.
Operators of retail cannabis stores have only two requirements. First, the individual must have a retail operator license and, second, each store’s location must have a retail store authorization.
“Just from a business standpoint, the industry is so young that there’s so much that’s going to change in the next five years … but right now, with the regulations, it’s just not a good thing in my opinion,” Petrie said.
If the municipality does opt in, there is a 15-day consultation period whenever a new store application is submitted to the province, providing an opportunity for public feedback on the proposed location.
During this time, the public can write to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, which ultimately decides whether the store is in the public interest or not.
The criteria for a new store’s location included protecting public health and safety, protecting youth by restricting access to cannabis, and preventing illicit activities related to cannabis.
“I don’t think I feel comfortable opting in. I think I want to sit back and see what happens in the future, see if it becomes a little more regulated,” Coun. Mike Bowman said.