Oakville Council to review its decision to opt-out of retail pot stores
Published February 18, 2022 at 3:20 pm
Local residents who do or don’t want pot stores in Oakville will be able to express their opinion at an upcoming Town Council meeting.
Oakville Council will be reviewing its decision to opt-out of allowing cannabis stores, originally made back in 2019, at a meeting on Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m.
An update on Cannabis legislation will be provided as well as an overview of the province’s program to license retail pot stores and information on municipalities that have licensed stores, particularly those in Halton Region.
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 Ontario, including Oakville, have opted-out of allowing retail cannabis stores.
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Had the Town of Oakville opted-in in 2019, it would have been eligible for payments under the Ontario Cannabis Legalization Implementation Fund (OCLIF), as well as the federal cannabis tax. That funding, however, is no longer available.
Those wanting to register as a delegate for the meeting should email [email protected] or call the Town Clerk at 905-815-6015 before noon on Feb. 28.
Those who can’t make the meeting can email their thoughts to [email protected].
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