Richmond Hill Mayor Dave Barrow just says no to recreational marijuana sales in his town
Richmond Hill council unanimously approved a motion saying the town is not a willing host of a cannabis retail location.

Thestar.com
Kim Zarzou
Dec. 6, 2017

“Thanks but no thanks.”

That was the answer Monday night from local councillors to a suggestion Richmond Hill should be one of the first host towns for legal recreational marijuana sales.

The town of Richmond Hill received a letter Nov. 28 from the Ministry of Finance announcing a cannabis store may be coming to town in July 2018.

“We are not interested,” Mayor Dave Barrow said at a committee of the whole meeting this week.

Barrow presented a motion that, if given final approval Monday, would tell the provincial government Richmond Hill is not a willing host of a cannabis retail location in the community.

The motion was given unanimous approval by councillors at the Dec. 4 committee of the whole meeting.

The province intends to open 40 stand-alone stores by July 2018, an additional 80 by July 2019 and 150 by 2020.

Last month, Ontario named 14 cities to have the first LCBO-run recreational marijuana stores. Vaughan is the first to be identified in York Region and has not voiced an official opinion; instead it has created an interdepartmental cannabis working group.

Conversations with additional municipalities are happening now, ministry spokesperson Scott Blodgett said.

“The LCBO will post a list of those additional municipalities once the initial engagement is complete.”

But Richmond Hill councillors reacted quickly to the province’s overtures.

Richmond Hill Councillor Castro Liu said he conducted an online survey of his community and received more than 11,000 responses within four days — 90 per cent of whom said they do not want a retail outlet in Richmond Hill.

“Please, give us something we asked for, like a subway,” Liu said. “Don’t give us something that we didn’t ask for.”

Regional Councillor Vito Spatafora said an investigation by the York Regional Police Services Board raised important concerns. Communities that already have legalized recreational marijuana have more cannabis consumption and more demand for police resources, enforcement calls and Criminal Code and highway traffic act offences, he said.

The study also showed legalization will not eliminate the prevalence of organized crime in the production, distribution and sale of cannabis and will cost an average of $6.7 million per year for the next three years on roadside testing equipment, front-line officers, additional training and more, Spatafora said.

“If that cost is not passed on by revenue sales, it goes on to the taxpayers,” he said. “Why would we want recreational marijuana in our community? It baffles me.”

Councillor David West said he is deeply concerned about the many unresolved issues and called for the entire legalization process to be delayed by the province.

“There’s no way they will be ready in time,” he said. “It will be up to us as municipal councillors to deal with the problems when they hit the ground . . . We need to have answers before we continue on this path.”

Town staff echoed those concerns in a letter sent to the Ontario Legalization of Cannabis Secretariat Ministry of the Attorney General.

“Municipalities don’t know what their role is and therefore may not begin to prepare for the July 1, 2018 legalization date,” the letter said.

A town staff report said the province has not provided municipalities with sufficient time to identify issues and impact on the communities — such as where cannabis may be used, how pot use in private homes will be addressed (particularly in multi-residential housing), how the odour could impact backyard enjoyment and the need for municipalities to control where stores are located to address community concerns.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa said his ministry and the LCBO will meet with municipalities that have been identified for potential sites to discuss their concerns.

“It is critical that, in establishing a new, legal retail system for cannabis, we protect our youth and combat the illegal market,” Sousa said.

But Richmond Hill residents who spoke to council this week were not convinced.

Li Li, a mother of two, told councillors she has “huge concerns” about second-hand smoke, addiction and damage to children’s brains.

Marijuana can’t be compared to alcohol, she said, because it takes much less time to become impaired with pot than it does with drinking.

Student Hayden Cheung quoted a study from the University of Montreal showing cannabis use by teenagers has a negative impact on brain development.

By supporting cannabis outlets, communities are sending a message to youth that it’s OK to use pot recreationally, he said.

“I can’t support anything that has such uncertainty and potential harm for youth of Richmond Hill.”

East Gwillimbury Mayor Virginia Hackson said at a council meeting this week she does not want a dispensary in her town, either.

Hackson said the town could put the question on next year’s election ballot and she suggested the issue be discussed by councillors in coming weeks.

An exact location has not yet been chosen in Richmond Hill, Nicole Stewart, executive lead for the Cannabis Retail Implementation Project, said in a letter to the town Nov. 28.

The province plans to reach out immediately to the town to schedule a joint meeting, Stewart said, but the LCBO may begin the search for available sites before that meeting.

Meanwhile, bylaw officers have received about 30 calls, since October, 2016, from area residents expressing disapproval of cannabis dispensaries within established residential areas, a Richmond Hill staff report said.

There is no municipal authority to limit or restrict where cannabis retailers may be located within the town, beyond requiring the land be zoned retail, the report said.

Two previously operating retail locations in Richmond Hill have been shut down. At present, there is one remaining store in the municipality, the report said.

York Regional Police have investigated complaints related to a cannabis business located in a plaza near Bathurst and Major Mackenzie, Const. Andy Pattenden said.

While it is still illegal to sell marijuana from a storefront, no charges have been laid, he said.