Province announces Burlington location for retail cannabis store, public feedback due March 6

The Province's Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has released the locations of the first 14 proposals for legal retail cannabis stores — and Burlington is one of them.According to the AGCO's website, the store (RELM Cannabis Co.) will be located at 4031 Fairview St., unit 103, at the corner of Walkers Line. The area is well outside 150 metres from a school, parks, pools, arenas, libraries or recreation centres and includes several restaurants and retail outlets.Residents have until Wednesday, March 6 to submit their feedback or any concerns or objections about the location to the province through the AGCO's website. The Province had also announced retail stores that are successfully granted a licence to operate will open by April 1.MY TAKE:This is the kind of location where it is appropriate for accommodating retail cannabis stores in our city. It is more than 150 metres from any school or any of the other locations of particular concern, including parks, pools, arenas, libraries or recreation centres. And it is also along transit routes and near the QEW/Hwy. 403.  The City of Burlington won’t be submitting comments to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) on this application given its suitability. The public can submit their comments by March 6 to the AGCO's website. Burlington City Council is in the process of creating a task force to develop a set of standard comments we would provide to the AGCO, when applications come forward, that reflect community perspectives on where these should be located. In addition, I have just been appointed as one of four members of a working group at the Large Urban Mayor's Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO), part of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, that will work to develop similar guidelines for suitable locations. The working group includes mayors of two municipalities that opted in and two that opted out of allowing cannabis retail stores, recognizing that our concerns are similar. The guidelines we create will be shared with the AGCO and our municipalities.