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3 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,D ecem ber 20,2018 theifp.ca After a lengthy discus- sion, with some council members feeling reluctant to stray from the original path, the Town of Halton Hills voted to defer the de- cision to opt out of priva- tized pot sales until some semblance of public con- sultation can be complet- ed. This decision came af- ter three impassioned del- egations from local resi- dents, and a gallery of vo- cal citizens who made it clear that they were not go- ing to accept any decision being made by the town on their behalf regarding pri- vate cannabis stores - even if that decision was only to opt out temporarily to give the town more time to con- duct the consultation. Now, the town has until Jan. 21 to consult with the public and decide whether it will be opting in to hav- ing private cannabis stores in town, and has until Jan. 22 to communicate that de- cision to the provincial government. Senior planning adviser Susan Silver addressed council on Monday eve- ning, providing them with an update on the latest news regarding cannabis legislation and retail. Regarding retail store regulations, Silver said stores must be standalone and located at least 150 me- tres from schools. The products sold at these es- tablishments must be sourced solely from the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation. Those enter- ing the store must be 19 years of age or older and hours of operation can be between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. As well, the municipali- ty is restricted from using licensing or land-use by- laws to control the location or density. Silver says the private Ontario cannabis stores that do come into fruition will be chosen by the pro- vincial regulating body (the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario), lottery-style, with a total of 25 stores being selected by April 1, 2019. With regards to fund- ing, the Town of Halton Hills will be given an allo- cation of $27,747 in Janu- ary regardless of any deci- sion to opt out. Then, following the Jan. 22 deadline date, munici- palities will be given a sec- ond payment. Those that opted out will only receive $5,000. The funds received can only be put toward costs relevant to legalization. While Silver concluded her presentation recom- mending council opt out of cannabis retail stores until the consultation period, slated to begin in January and run until March, can be completed, local resi- dents had something dif- ferent to say. "The Liberal govern- ment had promised that they are going to take away $7 billion from the hands of criminals and legalize it, so if the Town of Halton Hills decides to opt out, you are effectively putting that money back into the hands of criminals," Abe Verghis said, to an applauding gal- lery. Verghis is a George- town resident who works for a company that manu- factures drug and alcohol testing equipment. "What we are trying to do is we are trying to dis- courage the illegal sale of cannabis. If the minors continue to use it, and they will, there is nothing you or I can do to stop that, but what we can stop is the ille- gal trade of cannabis." In a second delegation, local resident David Greb, CANNABIS AND YOU COUNCIL DEFERS DECISION ON PRIVATIZED POT SALES AFTER URGED BY RESIDENTS VERONICA APPIA vappia@metroland.com Georgetown resident Abe Verghis presents his arguments in favour of cannabis retail stores to council. Veronica Appia/Metroland See DECISION, page 11 35 YEARS AND COUNTING What was our little town is now exploding with expansion. There are many new families who may not have known they've picked a jewel of a town to live in. To them, welcome! To those whose history has always been here, thank you for giving my family and I a great place to call home for 35 years! Thanks to all of our awesome customers, many of whom have been coming here since we started in 1984. Our success is fundamentally basic - be totally honest and treat all customers with mutual respect. I am incredibly proud of our employees who reflect the integrity we live by. 45 Mountainview Road North, Georgetown 905.877.7958 hassellsauto@bellnet.ca • hassellautomotive.comSALES & SERVICE Gold 2018 Halton Hills Gold 2017 Halton Hills