On December 12, 2017, the Province of Ontario approved legislation titled Ontario’s Cannabis Act, 2017 to regulate the lawful use, sale and distribution of recreational cannabis. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (L.C.B.O.) under the name “Ontario Cannabis Stores” (O.C.S.) will be responsible for operating cannabis stores.

On December 13, 2017, staff from the Province met with Mayor Henry and City and Regional staff to overview the Province’s cannabis store siting guidelines and other matters concerning the Province’s approach to dealing with issues related to the recreational cannabis plan. At the meeting, Provincial staff advised that the Province would respect any request from the City to delay the site selection process for a cannabis store.

On December 15, 2017, City Council passed a resolution which stated, in part, that the City of Oshawa requests the L.C.B.O. and Province of Ontario to defer the site selection process for a potential cannabis store in Oshawa until the City has completed its public consultation on the proposed siting guidelines, a locational review and any required implementation.

The Province’s site selection guideline considerations provided to municipalities include:

• Adhering to municipal zoning by-laws;
• Proximity of sites to nearby schools (recognizing urban densification);
• Equitable access for customers within municipalities;
• Illegal storefront activity; and,
• Other relevant information provided by municipalities.

On April 9, 2018, Oshawa City Council authorized the Development Services Department to initiate the non-statutory public meeting process to obtain public input on where cannabis retail stores should or should not be permitted to be located in the City.

Feedback received by end of day Friday, July 13, 2018 will be considered in the development of recommended locational criteria. The recommendations will be presented to Development Services Committee and City Council in 2018. Upon approval of any proposed locational criteria by Council, copies of the locational criteria would be provided to the Province to inform its search for a cannabis retail store site in Oshawa.

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