Briefs: Council deliberates over specifics around cannabis legalization

Already crunched for time, Red Deer city council spent a considerable amount of it Monday night deciding how they would like cannabis legalization to look when it takes effect July 1, 2018.

Municipalities have been tasked with providing feedback to what’s known as the Alberta Cannabis Secretariat, which will help shape how the new law looks in our province.

During the meeting, council adopted ten themes with specific advocacy positions, while adding in a few of their own and altering some existing ones.

Of note, council will advocate for:

– Establishing strong criminal penalties

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– Federal standardized limits of THC potency

– Pricing of cannabis to not encourage people to purchase it on the illegitimate market

– Cannabis grow operations to be fully taxable as non-residential property

– Public or private retail cannabis sales to be similar to the existing retail model for alcohol

– Limiting private retail of cannabis to dispensaries in initial phases

– Full disclosure packaging and labelling on cannabis food and consumables to prevent mistaken consumption

– Prohibition of cannabis sold in packaging and forms that are appealing to children

– Recreational cannabis use to be prohibited in public areas, indoor and outdoor

– The legal age for recreational cannabis consumption to be 21

– The federal government restricts youth aged 12-21 from being in possession of recreational cannabis

– The federal government  regulate pesticides, fungicides  and additives to ensure health and safety of users

– Creation of crime prevention strategies to resolve unintended consequences of the legislation

Council, including Mayor Tara Veer, heavily lamented the lack of time municipalities are going to have to align their bylaws with the new legislation, which can’t occur until the province decides what it’s going to do.

“We are already dealing with significant public safety challenges, addiction issues and other concerns, in particular that affect kids and youth,” Veer said. “It was important that we spoke on behalf of our community and identified those areas of concern. In any policy decision, there are always the intended consequences and the federal government has outlined what their objectives are — and whether or not we agree with that, the fact is there are always unintended consequences.”

Veer added that the enforcement of any new legislation always comes with a significant cost to the local taxpayer.

The Alberta Cannabis Secretariat will receive council’s decision through the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association.

Reconsidering CAEP

Council is doing an about-face on the City’s position regarding the Central Alberta Economic Partnership (CAEP).

Councillor Dianne Wyntjes was proposing to reconsider council’s decision during Operating Budget 2017 to give CAEP one year’s notice that the City was leaving the organization.

Wyntjes also proposed that council appoint not only an elected representative to the CAEP board, but a local business rep as well. Council voted 6-3 against the motion and consequently debated an amended one submitted by City administration.

Instead of asking CAEP if Red Deer could keep its seat past the end of this year, council voted unanimously in favour of extending the city’s notice by one year.

“It’s almost a little bit hypocritical when we decide not to sit at the table with CAEP and participate with them. I was disappointed,” said Wyntjes. “At the same time, I’m hopeful we’ll have another additional year with the next council, whoever that may be to be able to have conversations with CAEP to meet Red Deer’s needs and we continue to be a member. We are stronger together.”

It was argued during Operating Budget talks that the City could work with CAEP on a case by case basis following its official withdrawal at the close of 2017.

The City pays out $40,000 annually to be a member of CAEP, a group it helped form in 1998.

Dollars to end homelessness

Red Deer’s Community Housing Advisory Board is receiving an additional influx of dollars from the federal government.

For the fiscal year of April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019, CHAB will have an extra $149,788 to disperse to Women’s Outreach, Safe Harbour and Bredin Centre for Learning.

The money comes from the Homeless Partnering Strategy (HPS) Grant.

Meanwhile, additional HPS dollars for Indigenous-related homeless initiatives has been secured locally, but further consultations will happen this fall with the Urban Aboriginal Voices Society to decide where to spend it. 

Notices of Motion

Council was also scheduled to debate two other notices of motion.

The first from Buck Buchanan called for continued support of the Red Deer Early Years Coalition. Council passed it unanimously.

The other authored by Paul Harris on downtown utility connection charges was tabled.

Three new notices of motion were read into the record and will return to council in two weeks. They revolve around the removal of vacant and derelict properties, finding alternative measures to deal with property crime offenses, and reconsideration of a previously shot down site exception.