Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
National

Mayors Press Trudeau Liberals For Help To Handle Legalized Marijuana

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 03 Jun, 2017 01:16 AM
  • Mayors Press Trudeau Liberals For Help To Handle Legalized Marijuana

OTTAWA — The mayors of Canada's biggest cities say they need a slice of the tax windfall from legal marijuana to cover what they describe as significant costs associated with enforcing a signature initiative from the federal Liberals.

 

They raised their concerns with cabinet ministers this week, pressing the case that some tax revenues from sale of the drug must filter down to cover costs associated with land-use issues, business licensing applications and enforcement once the purchase, sale and recreational use of the drug is no longer illegal.

 

The parliamentary budget officer estimated in a report last year that sales tax revenue to federal and provincial governments combined could be as low as $356 million and as high as $959 million in the first year of legalization, depending on the price put on cannabis and usage.

 

"We're not in a position to collect any (taxes)," Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson, chairman of the mayors' group, said in an interview this week.

 

"One conversation that we think is important to have is support for local governments dealing with the costs of enforcement."

 

It would be up to local police to enforce impaired driving laws, provisions about sales to minors and any necessary bylaws for dispensaries that open up in communities. Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said cities are asking the federal government for more details as early as the fall about how the law will impact them.

 

"We also need some clarity around the law, so that we can be prepared to deal with dispensaries, many of whom think that they, as soon as this (bill) passes, can just open anywhere they want," Savage said.

 

Several mayors say they feel the Trudeau Liberals are moving at breakneck speed, leaving them little time to prepare for the new regime. The Liberals hope to make marijuana legal by the summer of 2018.

 
"
 
 
The one thing that, of course, concerns me is the timing of how quickly this is occurring, especially given that I certainly have concerns about likely increased costs to policing," said Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman.

 

"Depending on how it's rolled out, depending on where the revenues are being collected and by whom could play a role in helping us address our concerns and what we expect are going to be increasing costs to policing."

 

The government's legalization bill, C-45, was being debated at second reading in the House of Commons on Friday, blocks away from where thousands of delegates were gathered for the annual meeting of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

 

Trudeau addressed the gathering in the morning after the official start of the annual meeting, focusing on what local leaders describe as an opioid epidemic in their communities.

 

Health officials and political leaders have been sounding the alarm about a dramatic spike in opioid deaths across Canada — the focus of a national summit in Ottawa last fall that pulled together experts from across the country.

 

In his speech, Trudeau said governments won't rest until they turn the tide of the crisis, pointing to the government's latest budget as evidence of the government's interest in addressing the problem: The budget included $110 million over five years for a national drug strategy.

 

 

"The opioid epidemic has touched the lives of countless Canadians, in one way or another," Trudeau said.

 

"We must come together to address this crisis and that's why we're working with our provincial, territorial and municipal partners to find lasting solutions."

 

Later in the day, the government announced it has approved three new supervised drug consumption sites for Toronto. In a statement, Health Minister Jane Philpott said evidence shows such sites save lives and decrease hospital admissions related to injection drug use.

MORE National ARTICLES

Quebec Town To Hold Referendum Over Proposed Site Of Muslim Burial Ground

Quebec Town To Hold Referendum Over Proposed Site Of Muslim Burial Ground
SAINT-APOLLINAIRE, Que. — A referendum will be held July 16 over the proposed site for a Muslim cemetery southwest of Quebec City.

Quebec Town To Hold Referendum Over Proposed Site Of Muslim Burial Ground

Birinderjeet Bhangu Murder: Johnny Steven Drynock, 22, Charged With First-Degree Murder In Surrey

Birinderjeet Bhangu Murder: Johnny Steven Drynock, 22, Charged With First-Degree Murder In Surrey
SURREY, B.C. — A charge of first-degree murder has been laid against a 22-year-old man accused of shooting another man in a hotel parking lot in Surrey, B.C.

Birinderjeet Bhangu Murder: Johnny Steven Drynock, 22, Charged With First-Degree Murder In Surrey

The Changing Face of Whalley

The Changing Face of Whalley
Whalley finds its roots in 1925 when Arthur Whalley opened a gas station and a corner store at what became known as Whalley’s corner.

The Changing Face of Whalley

Man Charged After Pickup Truck Goes Into Automatic Car Wash With Dog In Back

Man Charged After Pickup Truck Goes Into Automatic Car Wash With Dog In Back
HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, N.L. — A man has been charged after a pickup truck went into an automatic car wash in Labrador with a dog exposed in the back.

Man Charged After Pickup Truck Goes Into Automatic Car Wash With Dog In Back

Toronto Police To Offer $50k Reward In 2016 Fatal Shooting Of Pregnant Woman

Toronto Police To Offer $50k Reward In 2016 Fatal Shooting Of Pregnant Woman
TORONTO — A year after shots fired at a car killed a 33-year-old pregnant woman, Toronto police are offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.

Toronto Police To Offer $50k Reward In 2016 Fatal Shooting Of Pregnant Woman

Air Canada Plane Diverted After Ontario Man Allegedly Tries To Open Door

TORONTO — An Ontario man is in federal custody in the United States after allegedly assaulting members of an Air Canada flight crew and trying to open the door of a plane while it was in flight.

Air Canada Plane Diverted After Ontario Man Allegedly Tries To Open Door