The City would like to hear from you regarding the sale of cannabis at retail stores in Continue reading

At its Jan. 8, 2019 meeting, city council voted in favour of allowing retail cannabis stores in Kingston under provincial regulations. The City will ask the Province to give it the authority to regulate store locations in proximity to schools, youth facilities, community centres and other cannabis stores.





At its Jan. 8, 2019 meeting, city council voted in favour of allowing retail cannabis stores in Kingston under provincial regulations. The City will ask the Province to give it the authority to regulate store locations in proximity to schools, youth facilities, community centres and other cannabis stores.

Reporting Back

See the results from the Retail Cannabis survey.

See the comments from the Retail Cannabis Survey.

See the Jan. 8, 2019 Report to Council on Cannabis Retail Stores in Kingston.

About the project

The City would like to hear from you regarding the sale of cannabis at retail stores in the municipality. We’re posting a survey to seek input from residents about whether cannabis should be available through local outlets. Please find the survey below. It will take approximately 5 minutes to complete and your feedback will be used to help inform council about retail cannabis in Kingston. Questions about this survey can be directed to communications@cityofkingston.ca.

Background

On Oct. 17, 2018, the use of cannabis became legal in Canada. In Ontario, the provincial government is launching a tightly regulated private retail model which goes into effect next April. It will be used to help municipalities work with potential business owners who wish to open a cannabis retail outlet. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario plans to begin accepting on-line applications for cannabis-related licenses on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. All applications will have to be made online. Kingston and other Ontario communities have until Jan. 22, 2019 to decide on whether to be part of the retail model.

For communities

Residents in communities that choose to allow the retail model will have two legal means for purchasing cannabis: online and retail shops that have government-issued licences. The Association Municipalities of Ontario, the body that acts as a liaison between municipalities and government, supports the private cannabis retail model for the jobs and economic benefits it can offer to communities.

Provincial regulations

The Ontario Government has released regulations that will guide the startup of private cannabis stores. The stand-alone outlets can be open any day between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m., be at least 150 metres away from schools and bar entry to anyone under 19 years of age. The government is also expected to release details about the number of licences allowed in each community.

The regulations aim to:

Keep cannabis out of the hands of youth

Keep profits out of the pockets of criminals

Protect public health and safety by allowing adults access to legal cannabis

For now, cannabis can only be legally purchased in Ontario online from the Ontario Cannabis Store, an option that will continue to be available into the future for people who wish to purchase the product.



