The City of Oshawa is seeking community input on whether to have private recreational cannabis retail stores in Oshawa.

Recreational cannabis was legalized on October 17, 2018 by the federal government and it is now legal to purchase and use cannabis for recreational purposes across Canada.

In Ontario, currently the only way to legally purchase recreational cannabis is online through the Ontario Cannabis Store, but beginning in April 2019 it will be available for purchase through private recreational cannabis retail stores.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario will be the provincial regulator authorized to license private recreational cannabis retail stores. The Ontario Cannabis Store will be the exclusive wholesaler to these retailers.

The province is providing municipalities a one-time opportunity to opt-out of having private recreational cannabis retail stores within their municipal boundaries by January 22, 2019. A decision to opt-in cannot be reversed, while a decision to opt-out may be reversed in the future.

Have Your Say

Have your say as to whether the City should have private recreational cannabis retail stores in our municipality. Input can be provided via:

• Online survey here on Connect Oshawa;
• Paper survey at Service Oshawa (located at City Hall, 50 Centre St. S.) during regular business hours; or,
• Survey completed in-person at a community engagement pop-up in each of the City’s five wards:
  • Monday, November 19, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at Legends Centre (1661 Harmony Rd. N.)
  • Wednesday, November 21, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Northview Community Centre (150 Beatrice St. E.)
  • Thursday, November 22, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Civic Recreation Complex (99 Thornton Rd. S.)
  • Monday, November 26, 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at South Oshawa Community Centre (1455 Cedar St.)
  • Wednesday, November 28, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Donevan Recreation Complex (171 Harmony Rd. S.)

Feedback received by end of day on Monday, December 3, 2018 will be provided to City Council to better inform Council’s decision to opt-in or opt-out of having private recreational cannabis retail stores within Oshawa’s municipal boundaries by January 22, 2019.