BAt the City of Brampton’s Special Council meeting on Wednesday, January 21st, 2019, Ward 9 & 10’s Regional Councillor Gurpreet Singh Dhillon expressed his disappointment in Council’s 8-3 decision to allow the private sale of cannabis in Brampton.
As of October 17th, 2018, the federal government legalized the use and sale of cannabis, and the provincial government has brought forward new legislation which Councillor Dhillon stated ‘does not give adequate control to municipalities as to where to zone and locate cannabis shops’.
“This was a bad deal given to us by the province and we accepted it,” said Councillor Dhillon. “I am disappointed that Brampton did not join the vast majority of the 905 to vote against the private sale of cannabis in in our city,”
“The city will have no controls over how many pot shops will open and where they will locate, which is why I recommended opting out to send a strong message to the province, and to use the decision as leverage to get more local control first.”
The Ontario government will set aside $40 million in added funding, split between all 444 municipalities, for law and bylaw enforcement, and Brampton will now see a larger amount of $750,000 to $3 million in downloads compared to if it opted out. However staff cautioned that it would still not be enough to cover the city’s full cost to combat cannabis, and could add more burden to taxpayers.
Along with the province reducing the distance from schools from 500 meters to 150 meters, users will be free to smoke cannabis in the same places as cigarettes, however they must be a minimum of 20 meters from parks, children’s playgrounds, sports fields, and bar patios, while schools, child care facilities, and enclosed workplaces will continue be smoke free.
The Region of Peel, which is currently reviewing its own bylaws, will be providing a report back to Regional Council in the upcoming weeks, and Councillor Dhillon has indicated he will lobby his Regional colleagues to enact tougher smoking regulations.
“I will continue to push the City of Brampton and the Region of Peel to promote a culture of healthy and active lifestyle for our residents, and to protect the freedoms of those who do not wish expose themselves or their children to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke.”
