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The Alberta Federation of Labour is calling for the NDP government to set up a system of government-owned and operated cannabis stores in the province when recreational marijuana becomes legal next year.

With Alberta’s policy framework for legal cannabis released earlier this month, Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said the province will only allow stand-alone stores to sell legal weed but it is still weighing whether to set up government-owned facilities or leave retail to the private sector.

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Businesses looking to move into the recreational marijuana field in 2018 are opposed to a public system for cannabis sales, as are the province’s three main opposition parties.

But AFL president Gil McGowan said government stores are the best option to create good jobs and bring the greatest financial return to provincial coffers.

Photo by Christina Ryan / Calgary Herald

“The government should keep the broader public interest in mind and, in determining that interest, they should look at things like public revenue and health and safety and job creation as opposed to just the narrow interests of investors and the potential owners of stores,” he said in an interview.