Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
A town hall meeting to discuss cannabis legislation and legalization has not turned out to be as fruitful for the Town of Kindersley as officials had hoped.
Approximately 40 members of the public attended the cannabis town hall meeting on Feb. 27 at the Elks Hall in Kindersley. Town officials and members of the Kindersley RCMP were at the meeting to address the attendees and to answer any of their questions.
From left, councillors Randy Ervine and Gary Becker, Mayor Rod Perkins, Staff Sgt. Ray Blais, Cpl. Travis Doering and CAO Bernie Morton were on hand to answer any questions.
The mayor said the town and RCMP decided to hold a joint meeting to discuss the pending legalization of cannabis for recreational use. He noted that municipal governments are trying to figure out what they will have to do once cannabis has been legalized, and the Town of Kindersley is hoping to get feedback from its citizens.
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Morton said Bill C-45 and Bill C-46, the latter being an amendment to the criminal code, will set the federal legislation with respect to legalizing cannabis. Both of the bills are now before the Senate. Cannabis legalization will trickle down to provinces and municipalities, the CAO said.
He noted that the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) will be the regulatory in the province. Morton said municipalities have little power to keep people from possessing or using cannabis, but they will have to respond in other ways.
It will be up to municipalities to issue business licenses to cannabis retailers and commercial growing operations, but also to adjust zoning. The town has the ability to adjust zoning to restrict where retailers and growing operations could be located, and to restrict where people will be able to smoke cannabis.
Morton said provincial legislation was on hold due to the byelections that were held on March 1, but the town would be meeting with newly-elected Kindersley MLA Ken Francis to discuss the situation. A meeting at the end of March is expected to have SLGA representation. He noted that people will also be able to grow up to four plants in their homes, so it is another thing for officials to take into account.
Perkins said the town has been given a single license to have a retail permit, so there is a potential to have one retail outlet in Kindersley. The question is whether or not the town should allow a retailer in the community, and where it should be located if the town allows it.
He noted that officials have to consider what if any benefits there are to having a retail outlet in Kindersley. The mayor said the town wants to know if there is support for a retail outlet or support for a commercial growing operation within the community.
The mayor and council represent the citizens, so town officials want people’s input to help them make the right decisions, Perkins said. He referred to cannabis legalization as a game changer for law enforcement and employers among others.
Before the floor was opened up to questions, Morton said Saskatchewan has asked for more time to get its legislation in place. He noted that Saskatchewan is the only province that has not brought forward any legislation. In addition, Councillor Becker said personally he is not in favour of having a retail outlet or manufacturer in the community.
Doering, who has experience in federal drug and gang units he got while posted in Edmonton, responded to questions on drugs and drug enforcement while Blais, whose specialty is traffic enforcement, responded to questions on drug impaired driving.
Blais, the commanding officer in Kindersley, said the biggest concern for law enforcement is the driving component because guidelines for what would be considered drug impaired driving are unknown and testing will be tricky.
He noted that it takes a long time for officers to be trained to assess drivers for drug impairment. The extensive training takes place both in Canada and the United States, so he said it is time consuming. The legislation is not in place, so there are several unknowns regarding the policing of cannabis, Blais said.
One citizen asked if a town or province could hold a referendum to keep cannabis illegal, but she was told legalization is coming whether people support it or not. A majority of people at the meeting say they would not support a retail outlet or growing operation in Kindersley.
Another attendee said cannabis is going to be legalized, so people should concentrate on preparing for it. The citizen said he appreciates the benefits for medical use, but he does not support recreational use of cannabis.
Several of the questions and concerns were focused on youth and keeping cannabis away from children. Doering said the police are aware of the concerns and “we’ll do the best we can to keep it out of the hands of kids.” The police will focus on drug enforcement as always, the officer said.
Perkins said town officials were hoping for at least 150 citizens to attend the meeting, but the turnout was lower than anticipated. He added that the turnout does not fully represent the community, so the town will have to make another attempt to engage its citizens.
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