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About 79 per cent said downloading of duties onto local governments was one of their top three concerns, followed by public safety issues (46 per cent) and respect for jurisdiction and authority (44 per cent.)

“I want to make sure that they are consulted and that they are able to have their say,” Farnworth said. “That, to me, is particularly important.”

Farnworth said the province has met with federal officials to discuss legalization and expressed concerns about the legalization timeline. He said it’s imperative regulations are carefully designed so that organized criminals are excluded and children are protected.

“Those should be your priorities, not how much money you’re going to make,” he said.

White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin, who represents Metro Vancouver on the union’s executive, said he’s among municipal staff who feel senior levels of government haven’t been listening to their pressing concerns about legalization.

“We’re just kind of being ignored,” he said. “Which is too bad, because we’re the ones who are going to have to implement it.”

Baldwin wants to know whether B.C. will follow Ontario’s lead by having cannabis sales run by its liquor board or work on an ad hoc basis by relying on dispensaries like Vancouver and other cities.

According to the UBCM survey, about 55 per cent of respondents said their board or council hadn’t expressed a preference while the rest were split between dispensaries (11 per cent), liquor stores (seven per cent), existing retail stores (seven per cent) and any federally-regulated or other model.