Pubdate: Sat, 08 Aug 2015
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.ottawasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Jon Willing
Page: 9

PARTY LEADERS INVITED TO GET THEIR BUZZ ON

BuzzOn owner Wayne Robillard says he'll give the federal party leaders
a VIP pass if they'll stop by when he reopens next weekend. But he
doubts they'll take him up on it.

Federal party leaders have an open invitation to visit Ottawa's
weed-smoking lounge, once the joint reopens.

"They're always welcome. I'll send them a VIP pass," Wayne Robillard
said Friday as work continued to renovate BuzzOn on Montreal Rd.

Robillard suspects political attention on his business will blow over
during the federal election campaign since marijuana legalization is a
too much of a minefield for anyone to step into.

The Liberals and Green Party are in favour of legalizing and
regulating marijuana. The NDP has talked about decriminalization and
studying the issue more, while the Conservatives want to keep
restrictions on pot possession.

Robillard hopes to welcome customers back to BuzzOn next weekend after
the renovations are done.

BuzzOn lets people bring their own marijuana to smoke inside, even if
they don't have medical licences.

The city rolled up on BuzzOn in May and ordered the business to close
because it didn't comply with building regulations. The owners have
been working to make it a legal assembly space, and that has meant
sinking big money into the rental unit.

Robillard estimates the renovations, which include new washrooms, cost
more than $30,000.

"It has been a slow process," Robillard said.

It has been difficult to find contractors and the timelines for the
work and inspections constantly change, he said.

"There's no question it's a challenge, for sure. Thankfully the
investors have bitten the bullet and decided they're going nowhere,"
Robillard said. "When we first opened we expected to be shut down, but
not for this long."

The next obstacle might be a new provincial law that bans the use of
vaporizers indoors. Before closing, BuzzOn made vaporizers available
to inhale marijuana.

There's still a grey area regarding marijuana cigarettes since the
indoor smoking ban at establishments applies to tobacco products.

BozzOn owner Wayne Robillard

Ottawa police have said they would simply monitor BuzzOn if it
reopens, but Robillard said cops have better things to do than snuff
out potheads.

"The general consensus is we're somewhat of a joke. They don't have an
interest in us," Robillard said. "I believe the Ottawa police have
much bigger headaches."

So, BuzzOn will forge ahead, stay with its plan to reduce the minimum
age to 18 and hope City Hall chills out about its presence in Vanier.

Robillard doesn't expect much heat from the city once all the
inspections clear and BuzzOn can reopen.

"It's going to be a kick-ass place, there's no question about that,"
Robillard said. "We're going to have a hell of a party."
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MAP posted-by: Matt