January 4, 2024 · 3 Comments
By JAMES MATTHEWS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER
The location of another marijuana store in Orangeville meets provincial requirements regarding limited proximity to schools.
Heather Gregoire, the executive assistant to Dufferin–Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones, who’s also Ontairo’s Health Minister, told The Citizen in an email that they’ve looked into a resident’s question about the possibility of an eighth pot store in the town.
Orangeville resident Jeff Patterson, who owns a local cannabis store, said in an email that Altered Nation Cannabis, to be opened on Broadway at Altered Nation counter-culture store, is too close to a pair of schools.
“While an eighth store is bad enough and totally unnecessary, the location of this store violates the regulatory restriction that retail cannabis stores cannot be within 150 meters of a registered educational institution,” Patterson wrote.
In the case of 218 Broadway, the Oxford Learning Centre is across the street – about 35 metres away. Hillcrest School on nearby Little York Street is within the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s (ACGO) 150-metre proximity restriction, Patterson said.
A number of factors are considered by the commission when evaluating a retailer’s application to sell cannabis.
Those factors include ensuring public health and safety, protecting youth and restricting their access to cannabis, and preventing illicit activities in relation to the drug.
“After carefully considering all of the available information, the registrar has determined that issuance of the cannabis Retail Store Authorization for the above noted premises (Altered Nation Cannabis) is not contrary to the public interest,” the regulator concluded.
But that isn’t how Patterson sees it.
“In breaching this regulation, the AGCO is creating a precedent that will allow retail cannabis stores to be located anywhere including immediately adjacent to schools within Orangeville and any other municipality in Ontario,” he said.
“This flies in the face of matters related to public interest that the AGCO is supposed to protect.”
Patterson forwarded his objection to the cannabis licence to Jones’ constituency office. Gregoire said staff looked into the complaint with the ACGO.
“The location complies with the school proximity requirement of being greater than 150 metres from schools,” Gregoire said. “This retail location was in compliance with the school proximity requirements.”
So just to understand – an owner of a weed shop is concerned about another weed shop… Yeah he definitely isn’t worried about the kids, he is just protecting his own butt. 100% afraid of competition.
First of all Jeff Patterson isn’t even a resident of Orangeville he lives in Caledon. Second of all he is scared of the competition as his store is failing and about to close. Thirdly he laid off all of his employees and still cant put together a decent menu, and last but not least his buisness practices are very unethical. Him and his son know nothing about cannabis and think their store should reign supreme.
Seems like someone’s real opposition is to competition.