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Will Thorold go to pot?

City Hall wants extensive public input
cannabis store

Public input is paramount in making the decision of whether to allow retail cannabis sales in Thorold or not, says Thorold’s Chief Administrative Officer Manoj DIlwaria. 

The cannabis licensing act 2018 gives municipalities the power to opt out of retail sales and Thorold must submit its intention to do so by January 22 if that is the decision of Council.

If Thorold decides to allow cannabis retail stores within its boundaries no action is required.

In an interview with the Thorold News Dilwaria said, “This is a major decision and if we don’t want cannabis stores in the city we have to inform the province.”

Toward that end the City has posted an online poll to determine if people are for or against allowing the stores.

It is not a vote and council will ultimately decide which direction the City takes, but Dilwaria said public input is crucial to providing information and perhaps benefits or pitfalls of which they are not currently aware.

“It’s a big decision for us and people are on different sides. There are opinions and counter opinions. At least this way all those concerns will be highlighted up front. We hope Thorold citizens go on the website and provide their opinion,” he said.

The poll is not just a simple yes or no. It asks respondents to provide reasons for their vote.

“We want viewpoints. Once we have enough answers, we can gauge the pulse of the city and how we should move ahead. The survey will guide our council to make informed  decisions,” explained the CAO.

“We really want to know the ‘why’ so we can debate the reasons,” he added. “Plus new ideas may come forward that will help us mitigate any negative outcomes.”

Dilwaria pointed out that if Thorold decides to opt out of cannabis sales, it can later reverse that decision. But at that point it would become a final choice.

Council will have to vote whether to do nothing and allow cannabis sales, or inform the province of Thorold’s intention to opt out at the January 15 meeting in order to meet the January 22 deadline. Respondents are asked to reply by January 1.

The public is urged to take part in the survey here