Here’s where Oakville stands on legal cannabis shops according to mayor Burton
Published March 27, 2023 at 5:15 pm
Pot stores in Oakville? Mayor Rob Burton says not even a Magic 8-ball would predict them opening here any time soon.
The needed spark wasn’t there the last time Oakville Town Council voted on allowing cannabis stores in late February of 2022 and Burton doesn’t see that changing in the near future.
The Oakville Mayor brought up the old Mattel fortune-telling toy when asked if Town Council would opt-in to the province’s cannabis retail store program.
“You know that eight-ball, that toy that everybody had as a kid?, Burton asked Khaled Iwamura of insauga.com in their weekly one-on-one chat. “If I was the eight-ball, I would shake the 8-ball and turn it upside down and up to the top would float the answer ‘doubtful.'”
A motion by Ward 1 Regional and Town Councillor Sean O’Meara around this time last year received no support.
“I don’t think the will is there to overturn this, so I won’t rock the boat at this point,” O’Meara said at the time.
The federal government passed the Cannabis Act on Oct 17, 2018, legalizing recreational cannabis before the Ontario government launched its private retail model on April 1, 2019.
The Province gave municipalities a one-time opportunity in Jan 2019 to opt-in or opt-out of having retail stores in their community. Municipalities who opted-out can opt back in at any time, but they may not reverse their decision.
Only 66 municipalities in the province voted to opt-out.
Don’t expect the 8-ball in council any time soon.
“I’ve always been afraid to bring toys to council meetings,” said Burton, adding a chuckle.
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