Give City Your Feedback on Future of Cannabis Lounges and at Events in Burlington

Cannabis
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*Please see the media release below issued by the City of Burlington.Burlington, Ont. — Feb. 14, 2020 — The City of Burlington is asking residents to share their thoughts about whether cafes and lounges serving and allowing the consumption of cannabis should be allowed to operate in the city. This survey will help inform the discussion at Burlington City Council on Feb. 24 to respond to the Ontario Government’s online consultation for potential cannabis business opportunity additions. The City’s survey will also ask residents their feedback on potential extension of Special Occasion Permits (SOPs) identified in the Ontario Government’s online consultation. SOPs would allow cannabis to be served and consumed at festivals and events in public places and spaces.To help gather the community’s input, the City has also launched an online survey at www.getinvolvedburlington.ca open to Burlington residents until Sunday, Feb. 23. To complete the brief survey, residents must first register or be a member of Get Involved Burlington.The Ontario Government’s public consultation was announced on Monday, Feb. 10, 2020 and the province will accept feedback until Tuesday, March 10, 2020.QUICK FACTS:

  • On Oct. 17, 2018, recreational cannabis was legalized by the federal government of Canada.
  • On Jan. 14, 2019, Burlington City Council voted to allow the operation of retail cannabis stores in Burlington
  • On Apr. 1, 2019, the first round of brick and mortar, privately-operated retail cannabis stores opened across the province
  • The AGCO is licensing and enforcing regulations related to retail cannabis stores in Ontario
  • On June 26, 2019, Health Canada published regulations for the production and sale of three new classes of cannabis products:
    • cannabis edibles – cannabis products that can be consumed in the same manner as food (e.g. food or beverage)
    • cannabis extracts – cannabis products that are produced using extraction processing methods or by synthesizing phytocannabinoids (e.g., oils, capsules, hash, wax)
    • cannabis topicals – cannabis products that can be used on a body surface (e.g. lotion)
  • These new federal regulations came into force on Oct. 17, 2019 and the new classes of cannabis products became available for sale in Ontario on Jan. 6, 2020.
  • The Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 (SFOA, 2017) and the regulations under that Act prohibit the smoking of cannabis and the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) to vape any substance (including cannabis) in enclosed workplaces and enclosed public places, as well as other prescribed places (e.g., restaurant and bar patios or within nine metres of these patios). 

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

MAYOR MEED WARD'S TAKE:The legal sale of cannabis products through registered businesses, which I have always supported in Burlington, is still a new venture in our city. We are one of the first municipalities to embrace this new form of business. I encourage our residents to take the City of Burlington survey and also share their comments with the Province. I look forward to both the staff report and the results of our community survey related to the Province's latest announcement of its online consultation for potential cannabis business opportunity additions. My initial concerns in expanding the locations of cannabis purchase and consumption are around the possibility of our residents facing second-hand smoke in areas where they are already protected from this under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act. As well, how potentially increased consumption in proposed new locations may affect our residents' experiences of the outdoors and at outdoor community events.--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist

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