Cannabis retail roll-out still in hands of Province

At the recent conference for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario held in Ottawa, City of Kawartha Lakes staff and elected officials took part in several opportunities to learn more about issues affecting our municipality and met with the respective ministers to advocate for Kawartha Lakes.

One issue that was discussed was the recent legislative changes to the legalization of cannabis and the way that retail cannabis locations will be rolled out.

Presentations touched on many of the outstanding issues affecting municipalities such as by-law enforcement, planning, zoning and policing. Many questions are still to be answered based on information to come from the province later this year.

Mayor Andy Letham commented, “We’re waiting on details from the province as to the funding formula for municipalities, supporting provincial programs and other details on how to rollout the retail locations. Since this won’t become available until after the election, it will be a decision for the new Council to make in short order, as early as the first Council meeting in December or very early in the New Year.”

Online sales of cannabis will be sold through the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), the province’s sole legal online retailer for recreational cannabis. It has entered into supply agreements with 26 licensed producers to ensure that a safe, diverse and high-quality supply of cannabis is ready and available upon legalization this fall.

Starting on October 17, consumers 19 and older will be able to purchase cannabis via an online retail platform provided by the Ontario Cannabis Store. The OCS website will include a verification system that will ensure safe at-home delivery for cannabis products.