Burlington Council Not Yet Open to Proposed Provincial Expansion of Cannabis Sales and Consumption

At a Special Council Meeting this afternoon (Monday, March 9), Council unanimously approved the decision to tell the Province that the City of Burlington is not yet open to the sale and consumption of edible cannabis products in additional locations, such as cafes and lounges.We went this route for now for two reasons: we need to have a better understanding of the impact of cannabis consumption in public places and the impact of consuming cannabis in combination with other regulated substances, such as alcohol.I personally have changed my opinion on expanded sales of cannabis in lounges and cafes from what I’ve heard from the community over the past couple of weeks. I’m now of the opinion this would not be a good idea because we simply don’t have enough information. We don’t know enough about cannabis consumption of edibles and how it should be sold in public. We do know mixing cannabis and alcohol can be dangerous, so we need to see Provincial regulations surrounding that too.During today's Council meeting, in the memo we received from City staff (Memo, Leah Bisutti regarding Mayors report City Position on Expanded Cannabis sale and Consumption), we also received correspondence from the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) — MO-02-20 Correspondence regarding 2020 alPHa Cannabis Ltr (Feb 27 20) — stating its concerns with the Province's consideration of permitting cannabis consumption establishments and issuing special occasion permits (SOPs) similarly to those that are issued for alcohol in Ontario.The Province has asked for public feedback on its proposed expansions by tomorrow (March 10), that is why Council met today. We will be sending the following unanimously-passed resolution to the Provincial government, as well as Halton Region, the City Clerks of Halton's municipalities, Halton's MPPs and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO): 

WHEREAS the City of Burlington opted-in to allow the legal sale of cannabis in 2019 and recognizes authorized retailers as a legitimate part of our business community;

AND WHEREAS the City of Burlington has no objection to the incremental business opportunities being explored by the government of Ontario announced on December 12, 2020 including the move to an open market for retail cannabis sales;

AND WHEREAS on February 10th, 2020, the government of Ontario announced they were launching consultations to provide consumers more choice and convenience on cannabis while giving the private sector enhanced ability to compete against and combat the criminal market;

AND WHEREAS the government of Ontario is asking Ontarians to share their feedback before March 10th, 2020 as they explore certain expanded cannabis-related business opportunities to help inform possible next steps;

AND WHEREAS the online consultation asks the public, businesses, health and other stakeholders to comment on potential new cannabis opportunities, including consumption venues such as cannabis ‘lounges’ where people could buy and consume cannabis and special occasion permits to allow purchase and use at events such as outdoor festivals and concerts;

AND WHEREAS smoking and vaping of any substances, including cannabis, in Burlington are prohibited in indoor public places and other designated areas under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act of 2017;

AND WHEREAS the City of Burlington conducted a public survey between February 14th and February 23rd seeking input on the future of cannabis sale and use in consumption venues such as cannabis ‘lounges’ and at public events such as outdoor festivals and concerts and found that, of 969 respondents:

• 50% were in favour of allowing the sale and consumption of cannabis in places like cannabis lounges and cafés (5% undecided, 45% not in favour)
• 57% were not in favour of allowing the sale and consumption of cannabis at festivals and events such as music or food festivals, etc. (3% undecided, 40% in favour)
• 67% felt that municipalities should be able to decide/govern the sale and consumption of cannabis in cafés and lounges (11% undecided, 23% not in favour)
• 72% felt that municipalities should be able to decide/govern the sale and consumption of cannabis at special events (7% undecided, 21% not in favour)

AND WHEREAS we do not yet have an understanding of whether any restrictions would be placed on the sale and consumption of additional regulated substances, such as alcohol, at the same locations as cannabis products;AND WHEREAS we do not yet have enough information on the impacts of consuming cannabis products in public places and whether additional safety protocols must be in place such as setting limits to avoid overconsumption at those establishments;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

• The Council of the City of Burlington is not yet open to the sale and consumption of edible cannabis products in additional locations such as cafes and lounges until we have a better understanding of the impact of consumption in public places nor the impact of their consumption in combination with other regulated substances such as alcohol.
• The City of Burlington does not support the sale or consumption of any cannabis products in public spaces or at public events such as outdoor festivals and concerts.
• We ask the Government of Ontario to allow municipalities to make their own local decisions on these matters and permissions.
• We ask the Government of Ontario to ensure that no additional permissions on the use of cannabis would be granted in such a manner as to contravene the Smoke-Free Ontario Act of 2017 or any Halton Region bylaws that exist at the time of their decision.
• The Council of the City of Burlington ask the government of Ontario to formulate responsible consumption regulations and guidelines to reduce risk of impairment and risk of adverse health impacts.

 The public still has until tomorrow (March 10) to give their feedback and comments through the Provincial online consultation form.MY TAKE:I’ve really wanted to be informed by evidence and by the community on this, but I also want us to be consistent with how we approach cannabis similarly to how we approach alcohol. For me, it was really about edibles. Over the two weeks Council had to think about this and connect more with our constituents, I realized that what I know about alcohol pales in comparison to what I know about cannabis. We’ve had years of education (in school) on alcohol consumption, the dangers of over-consumption and how it can be consumed safely if a person wishes to do so. We haven’t had anything of the like related to cannabis. If you’re consuming cannabis publicly, where is the duty of care? We don't know that yet. I fundamentally see that we have to treat cannabis (and it's public consumption) differently in the short-term until we get better Provincial regulations. To better protect our community, we have to do what we’ve laid out in this amended resolution. I think we’re in a good place and we have to tread carefully. Burlington is open to being a supporter, but we need more information.— Mayor Marianne Meed WardRELATED LINKS:

• Potential Cannabis Business Opportunity Expansions in Burlington: What You Should Know
• Burlington Council to Hold Special Meeting March 9 to Respond to Province on Proposed Cannabis Expansions

--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist