Article content continued

“One hundred and fifty metres from a school, that’s the only regulation,” he said, telling councillors there would be “no downside whatsoever to opting out tonight.” It would send a message to the province that Windsor disagrees with the lack of rules governing where these privately operated stores can go, he said.

You don’t tell me that cannabis is harmless, that it won’t affect our kids. I don’t believe so.

“I go to Costco, I go to the mall, everyone is talking about this,” said the mayor, explaining there’s a broad range of opinion. But when you ask people whether a store should be located across from Brentwood, across from a mental health centre, or across from a daycare, they almost unanimously say no.

“By not opting out, you’re giving away any leverage you have,” to persuade the government to make changes, he said.

But other councillors felt that opting out would give them less leverage.

“For us to bury our heads in the sand and think we can impact a federal decision (legalizing cannabis) by not hosting a store, and putting the burden of policing and (enforcing) the Smoke Free Act strictly on the backs of the local taxpayer is wrong,” said Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac, referring to the fact that municipalities that opt in are in line for hundreds of thousands of dollars in provincial funding to help offset the negative impacts of legalized cannabis.

Ontario is providing $40 million over two years to help municipalities with the implementation of retail stores. The first $15 million has already been confirmed for all municipalities whether they opt in or not (Windsor’s getting $253,279). But most of the remaining money will go to municipalities that have not opted out by Jan. 22. In addition, the province is promising half of any federal excise duty on cannabis after the first $100 million to municipalities that have not opted out as of Jan. 22.