Pubdate: Mon, 24 Oct 2016
Source: Toronto 24hours (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 Canoe Inc.
Contact:  http://24hrs.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4068
Author: Maryam Shah
Page: 3

POT RAIDS UPDATE

Battling dispensaries like 'whack-a-mole'

When it comes to shutting down marijuana dispensaries, Mark Sraga
admits it's a bit like playing whack-a-mole.

"It's still an ongoing challenge," said Sraga, director of
investigative services for the City of Toronto. "Dispensaries open,
dispensaries close." But his officers are seeing "better success" as
they use city bylaws against illegal pot shops, he added.

When the city began its crackdown in May - as the big green leaf
signifying cannabis began frequently popping up on storefronts around
the city - there were 48 stores open.

Now, more are closing as a result of bylaw and police enforcement,
said Sraga. The more letters sent out informing dispensary owners and
property owners of the bylaws they are breaking, the more stores
comply, according to the city.

Now Sraga and his team also want to look at different ways of
enforcing the city's bylaw.

"I think we are also looking at anybody and everybody that has a
fiscal interest in the property, not just the traditional operators or
owners, but everybody with a fiscal relationship with that property,"
he explained. That could include mortgage holders, for example.

As of Oct. 21, Sraga's office had reports of 138 dispensaries. His
officers investigated all of them, and 85 dispensaries have closed.

Workers and owners from half a dozen Toronto dispensaries have already
pleaded guilty to planning and bylaw violations, resulting in fines
ranging from $550 for an employee to $4,000 for a dispensary owner.

Others still think a pot shop is permitted in Toronto.

"We've had lawyers calling us on behalf of property owners, saying 'I
have a prospective tenant;' I've had real estate agents contacting me
saying 'I've got a client that's looking;' I've had business owners
themselves or prospective business owners saying 'I want to open up a
dispensary in Toronto, how do I get a licence to do so?' And they're
informed, of course, that they can't do that," Sraga said.

One business owner - who had already received a letter from the city -
called Sraga to ask why they got a letter when they have a business
licence for a dispensary from Vancouver.

"I said, 'Well this is Toronto, not Vancouver,'" Sraga recalled.
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MAP posted-by: Matt