The name of the government agency that will sell pot to Ontario has been revealed: the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corp. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. But neither does LCBO, the name of the provincial liquor monolith that sells us whiskey and wine. That acronym is so well known in Ontario that today no one bothers to spell it out. Will the acronym for the new marijuana agency - OCRC - become just as familiar? It has a certain slurry symmetry. It could lend itself to a nickname. How about "Ock-Rock," suggests Trina Fraser, an Ottawa lawyer who specializes in cannabis business law. [continues 633 words]
Why are Ottawa politicians, and by extension the Ottawa Police Services, continue to condone the use of illegal hard drugs by allowing the pop-up safe-injection site to remain open? With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's push to legalize marijuana, am I assuming the Liberals' next step will be to legalize all illegal drugs? This may be the plan, to have a drug-induced and dumbed-down electorate. Don Day Ottawa (Even the Trudeau Liberals might not have the guts to go there) [end]
TORONTO - Businesses that illegally sell recreational marijuana after the government of Ontario sets up its own shops could be fined up to $1 million under legislation tabled Wednesday. One of the main aspects of the proposed law, which would take effect once the federal government makes the drug legal in July 2018, is to crack down on the array of illegal dispensaries, Attorney General Yasir Naqvi said. "We are going to work very hard towards that," he said. "We have put very strict penalties in that regards. . . . We feel very comfortable that the regime that we will put in place will be a significant deterrent for these illegal businesses." [continues 311 words]
A 22-year-old Sudbury man will learn Dec. 6 how long he is going to jail, if at all, for selling a drug that contributed to another man's death. "Given the uniqueness of the case, it isn't possible for me to do this (give a sentencing decision) today," Ontario Court Justice Randall Lalande said about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday after a multi-hour sentencing hearing for David Mealey. Mealey pleaded guilty back on July 11 to a charge of trafficking MDA, a derivative of the Ecstasy drug. A pre-sentence report was ordered. [continues 1123 words]
Forty retail shops will open by next summer, with 150 provincewide in 2020 The province's new marijuana monopoly will be known as the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation. Attorney General Yasir Naqvi launched the OCRC - a subsidiary of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario - in sweeping legislation Wednesday at Queen's Park that takes effect when Ottawa legalizes recreational weed next July 1. "That is the legal name of that company. There will be branding that we'll do . . . a visual logo, etc., that we will announce in the future," said Naqvi, noting OCRC-run retail shops will sell bongs, rolling papers and other paraphernalia. [continues 487 words]
I had no idea. Curious to find out what goes into the making of the medical cannabis I vaporize and inhale most nights to dull the pain and let me sleep, I spent an afternoon at the recent Grow Up Cannabis Conference in Niagara Falls; five hours in absolute awe at the immense reach of this vast new Canadian industry. Because using recreational marijuana will no longer be a criminal offence come next July, the entire industry all across Canada is showcasing its products. [continues 631 words]
A vegetable farmer looking to sell a piece of land has been put in a bind as Norfolk council looks at rules for marijuana grow operations. Bill Nightingale Jr. of Nightingale Farms, a large scale producer of asparagus, beans, peppers among other crops, built a greenhouse on 215 Windham Road 10 North, Delhi last year with the aim of growing organic cucumbers. Hydro prices increased to the point the facility was no longer viable so the operation applied for a farm split that would allow the sale of 7.9 acres of land, which includes the new 2.9-acre greenhouse and a single-detached dwelling. The package is listed for $3 million. [continues 476 words]
KITCHENER - Kitchener will be one of the first cities in Ontario to get a provincially run recreational cannabis store. On Friday, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario announced standalone store locations for 14 municipalities in anticipation of the federal government's intention to legalize cannabis by July 2018. "In light of our size, the fact that we're the eleventh largest region in the country, I'm not surprised that we're one of the first communities," said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic, in response to the announcement. [continues 485 words]
ONTARIO HAS NAMED Hamilton as one of the first 14 cities where the province will set up government-run marijuana stores by July 2018. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario, which will run the shops through a subsidiary, said Friday the stores will also be located in Barrie, Brampton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Mississauga, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vaughan and Windsor. The LCBO said its representatives, along with staff from Ontario's Ministry of Finance, will meet with the municipalities in the coming weeks to determine the exact locations. The LCBO is posting updates on the process at lcbocannabisupdates.com. [continues 419 words]
Ontario has named the first 14 cities where it will set up government-run marijuanastores by July, 2018. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario, which will run the shops through a subsidiary, said on Friday the stores will be located in Barrie, Brampton, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Mississauga, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vaughan and Windsor. The LCBO said its representatives, along with staff from Ontario's Ministry of Finance, will meet with the municipalities in the coming weeks to determine the exact locations. [continues 371 words]
Weed rules still hazy: Councillor There are still many concerns to address as the provincial government moves forward this week with its anticipated marijuana legislation, Councillor Cesar Palacio says. Palacio, chairman of the Municipal Licensing and Standards (MLS) Committee, said that one such issue is the question of who will oversee and enforce the growing of pot plants on private property and the possible exposure of children to this product. The federal government has set a limit of four marijuana plants per household. [continues 380 words]
While attending the public meeting on cannabis with the four local members of Parliament earlier this month, I was struck by the scaremongering rhetoric on display from the front. Cambridge MP Bryan May, KitchenerCentre MP Raj Saini, Kitchener SouthHespeler MP Marwan Tabbara, and K-W MP Bardish Chagger, who sponsored the forum, led a 30-minute presentation on the proposed cannabis laws, including the legislation that will impose blood content driving limits onto cannabis users once the product becomes legal in July next year. Taking comments from the audience afterward, it was clear that there were more questions for them than they had answers. [continues 578 words]
With the coming legalization of recreational marijuana, the Ontario government has stumbled toward readiness like a teenager cramming for a big exam. To begin with, the government decided to grant itself a monopoly over legal sales, a move that was widely criticized for failing to meet market needs, thereby ensuring a thriving black market would remain intact. That pill was followed by a spoonful of sugar for the law-and-order crowd when Premier Kathleen Wynne and her Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca unveiled their proposal for stiffer impaireddriving penalties that would "ensure that Ontario's roads remain safe after July 1st, 2018." [continues 678 words]
Cannabis sales to be handled by subsidiary of LCBO after legislation passes, Wynne says Ontario's forthcoming cannabis legislation should spell the end of the illegal marijuana"dispensaries" that are still operating, warns Premier Kathleen Wynne. Attorney General Yasir Naqvi will table a bill on Wednesday that will outline the provincial rules surrounding recreational marijuana when the federal government legalizes cannabis next July 1. The premier said Monday there would be no surprises in the new law, which will restrict weed consumption to those19 and older and confine its use to private homes. [continues 282 words]
Ottawa's largest permanent supervised injection site could be open in a Lowertown trailer as soon as this weekend. The trailer, to be operated by Ottawa Inner City Health and located outside Shepherds of Good Hope on Murray Street, will be open 24/7 and serve a population of between 100 and 150 injection drug users, said Inner City Health executive director Wendy Muckle. Ontario's Health Minister Eric Hoskins has endorsed the site in a letter to federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, his office said Monday. [continues 546 words]
A Brantford man who has battled drug addiction for more than 40 years hopes the city follows through with safe injection sites as part of its strategy to combat substance abuse. But Randy Roberts, 53, said there is also a need for the treatment of trauma as part of a program to treat substance abuse. "I want people to remember that we're all hurting," he said. "There has been a lot of work done on this and for most addicts the root cause of their addiction is childhood trauma -- physical, psychological, sexual abuse." [continues 701 words]
TORONTO - Municipalities in Ontario will find out in the coming weeks where the government wants to locate the first batch of provincially run cannabis stores once recreational marijuana is legalized next summer. In a letter to local authorities sent Friday, Finance Minister Charles Sousa said Ontario's store roll out aims to achieve the right geographic distribution across the province and to reduce the number of illegal marijuana dispensaries that have opened since the federal government announced its plans to legalize pot. [continues 546 words]
The owner of a medical marijuana dispensary in Gloucester has apologized after emails were accidentally sent to 24 patients that revealed the names and addresses of all the store's customers. "Some people were obviously upset, for good reason," said Charlie Cloutier, owner of Greenworks Medicinal on Canotek Road. Staff phoned all the people who received the email to apologize and ask them to delete it, he said. The email contained the names and addresses of about 250 people who are registered customers at Greenworks. [continues 348 words]
Employers plan for workers using cannabis recreationally As Canada edges toward full legalization next year, businesses are trying to determine how to deal with employees' use of recreational cannabis. Bill Duncan of Cannamm Occupational Testing Services, which offers employment drug testing and other occupational health mentoring, is hosting a seminar in Mississauga on Nov. 7 to help bosses adapt to the shifting landscape. "Most companies have a policy on alcohol, even though it is legal. They're now realizing that they're going to have to look at something similar for marijuana," Duncan said. [continues 271 words]
A vegetable farmer looking to sell a piece of land has been put in a bind as Norfolk council looks at rules for marijuana grow operations. Bill Nightingale Jr. of Nightingale Farms, a large scale producer of asparagus, beans, peppers among other crops, built a greenhouse on 215 Windham Road 10 North, Delhi last year with the aim of growing organic cucumbers. Hydro prices increased to the point the facility was no longer viable so the operation applied for a farm split that would allow the sale of 7.9 acres of land, which includes the new 2.9-acre greenhouse and a single-detached dwelling. The package is listed for $3 million. [continues 474 words]
Inside Ontario
