This article has been edited from its original version to correct some spelling errors.

It was a big decision and came with a report just as large, containing all the possible impacts and ramifications for the municipality.

But it didn’t take councillors more than an hour to unanimously decide Cornwall would indeed allow recreational cannabis stores within city limits.

With the neighbouring townships of South Stormont and South Glengarry already having decided to allow the stores, councillors quickly recognized the writing was on the wall.

“Who are we kidding,” asked Coun. Dean Hollingsworth. “If we don’t opt in, it’s about a six-minute drive from my house to downtown Long Sault. Which means, if someone wants to purchase cannabis, South Stormont is already on board.”

“The idea that a neighbouring municipality would be savouring a bounty that we missed out on has me gritting my teeth, truth be told. This is going to happen whether we want it to or not.”

Not all the councillors were overly enthusiastic about the idea, as some still have misgivings about the decision to legalize cannabis in the first place.

Syd Gardiner, for instance, bemoaned the fact 19-year-olds would be able to obtain legal pot despite warnings from the medical community cannabis use can have a negative impact on their still-developing brains. Coun. Claude McIntosh also predicted a grey market for weed would develop just as it has for cigarettes in Cornwall.

But when it came time to make a decision, they both voted to opt-in along with everyone else.

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Some councillors were enthusiastic, however, such as Coun. Glen Grant, who put forward the recommendation to opt in on Thursday night.

“I’m making this motion because if we are silent and don’t opt out, we’ll be in any way (once the deadline passes on Jan 22). So we might as well take a firm position, hopefully a unanimous decision, saying ‘we’re in!’ I think doing so will also help our police as well,” Grant said.

The potential impact on the Cornwall police and its operations was once of the main point of discussion ahead of the decision on Thursday night.

Cornwall Community Police Service Chief Danny Aikman and deputy chief Shawna Spowart were on hand to answer council’s questions, while assiduously trying not to sway the decision one way or the other. When asked direct questions, they gave direct answers.

For instance, when Hollingsworth asked point-blank which option would end up costing him (i.e. regular taxpayers) more, Aikman responded matter-of-factly that it would cost more money to opt out at this point. Although the presence of stores will put some new responsibilities on the police to make sure those businesses are following the rules, the department doesn’t expect opting in would cause it any significant new expenses.

Opting out meanwhile would complicate enforcement efforts and the city would lose out on two installments of $56,000 from the province to help pay for whatever new expenses there are, the first of which Cornwall has already received. Hollingsworth criticized the amount as being so little it was “farcical” and would be spent “in the first week.”

The police chiefs told council they were highly skeptical having the stores would cut down on illegal sales inside Cornwall.

“My belief is that there will be new customers who will go the stores to purchase cannabis. But the ones who are currently purchasing cannabis at someone’s back door are going to knock on that door,” said Aikman.

Even though council has opted into having cannabis retail stores, there will not be any opening up in Cornwall on April 1. The provincial government is distributing the first 25 retail licences by lottery, and only municipalities of at least 50,000 people are eligible.

This leaves Cornwall edged out of contention by just a few thousand people, which angered Grant, who said the municipality should be pushing back to try to get Cornwall included in the lottery.

“It’s pretty discriminatory in my estimation,” said Grant. “We should be talking to our MPP about any way to challenge that number.”

Another thing still on council’s to-do list is to create and approve a policy statement that would lay out any additional guidelines it wants the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to consider by when approving retail locations in Cornwall.

Under the province’s rules, the stores can be located on most commercially-zoned properties within 150 metres of a school. If Cornwall wants to put any more stipulations on top of that – for example, keeping the stores spaced apart instead of concentrating in the downtown – it would need a policy statement.

Even then, they are just guidelines the AGCO could ignore if it chooses too. Nevertheless, general manager of planning Mark Boileau made it clear that administration feels it is important the city create one anyway.

Councillors agreed, and the administration will begin working on the start of that policy statement immediately. There was some discussion of public input, but that may be determined by whether the statement needs to be done by Jan. 22 or after.

ahale@postmedia.com

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