“The numbers are in and this government’s handling of the cannabis file is not working,” the union argued, citing incompetence

Legal cannabis sales in Ontario totalled $121 million this past fiscal year—the first in which cannabis was federally legal.

But the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation posted a hefty $42 million loss, and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), which has opposed Premier Doug Ford government’s retail plans from their inception, is saying the numbers are proof that the province needs to rethink its weed-selling strategy.

“The bottom line is the Premier’s cannabis plan is awash in $42 million in red ink,” stated OPSEU president Warren “Smokey” Thomas. “This would not have happened if the Conservatives had stuck to the previous government’s plan to have the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) handle cannabis sales,” argued Thomas, whose union represents some LCBO workers.

Eduardo “Eddy” Almeida, OPSEU first vice-president/Treasurer and a corrections officer, concurs, claiming that the way the province has handled cannabis sales is boosting the already thriving illicit market. “I have seen victims of illegally sold drugs every day when I worked in correctional facilities and it’s heartbreaking to see so many young lives destroyed,” Almeida said.

“I appeal to Mr. Ford to put these crime gangs out of business and opt for the responsible plan to sell cannabis, a publicly run plan, the only responsible choice,” he added.

The cannabis retail plan under Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals involved a provincially run system of 150 stores operated by the LCBO, a model similar to that of the Société Québecoise du Cannabis (SQDC) in Quebec, and had received OPSEU’s support.

But prior to legalization, the Liberals were defeated in the provincial election by Ford’s Conservatives, which made plans to incorporate private retail. The plan was decried by OPSEU, which reported that the newly revealed $42 million loss is validation. “The numbers are in and this government’s handling of the cannabis file is not working,” Thomas said.

“But this is far bigger than dollars and cents. The lives of our young people are at stake and they deserve better than half-baked plans dreamed up by backroom lobbyists,” he charged.

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