Is Ontario keeping too tight a lid on pot?

Premier Kathleen Wynne faced that question at a town-hall meeting Wednesday night in Brampton, where about 250 citizens — some with anger in their voices — grilled her about high local auto insurance rates, health care, workers’ compensation, the Tarion new home warranty system, the rising minimum wage, the recent five-week community college strike and other issues.

“‎Can we not have the private sector?” one young man asked as the clock ticks down to the legalization of marijuana across Canada on July 1.

That’s when Ontario plans to open the first 40 government-run recreational cannabis shops.

Other provinces are allowing private retailers into the business with strict oversight, but Wynne said Ontario doesn’t trust that model.

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“We have a very strong organization, the LCBO,” Wynne told the crowd at the Century Gardens Community Centre, referring to the liquor agency’s control of the cannabis-only shops.

“We need a safe ‎and responsible system that protects young people and is designed to undercut the black market.”

While critics have scoffed at that notion, insisting 40 stores is a drop in the bucket in a province as big as Ontario, Wynne said‎ Ontario will boost that number to 150 shops in the next couple of years.

Moderated by former Rogers TV host Nav Nanwa, the evening was the second in a series of Wynne town hall meetings to be held across Ontario.

The meetings are organized and paid for by the government to make Wynne, who faces re-election next June 7, more accountable and accessible to the public.

In that vein, audience members weren’t shy about pressing their concerns.

“When is our pay equity coming?” asked one woman who works at a non-profit community organization.

“It’s been 30 years. We’re still waiting,” she added in a testy tone after the premier said the Liberal government is working on it.

Wynne was also peppered with questions from people angry at the Tarion home warranty program and high auto insurance rates.

She acknowledged changes passed by the Legislature this week to improve Tarion don’t “go as far” as buyers want and said the auto insurance system is “broken” because geographic factors play too big a role in setting premiums.

“It needs to be rebuilt. That’s what we’re going to do,” she added, citing statistics that auto insurance rates in Ontario have dropped 6 per cent — a comment that drew murmurs of “no” throughout the audience.

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In answering a man who bluntly stated “I’m upset my daughter was out of college for five weeks” because of a faculty strike, Wynne said the government is working on a system similar to the one in elementary and secondary schools where the government can intervene earlier if the school year ‎is judged to be in jeopardy.

“It went on too long. I agree with you,” she said of the strike, which was ended with back-to-work legislation in late November.

Wynne got a similar grilling from participants at her first town hall meeting last month at the Concert Hall in Toronto. More are planned but the next location has not been announced.

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