Repeal the Cannabis Act
IT IS THEREFORE RESOLVED THAT the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) lobby the Government of Canada to repeal the Cannabis Act (Bill C-45), and request that the Government of Alberta work with AUMA to advocate for the repeal of that Act.
WHEREAS the Government of Canada has tabled Bill C-45, known as the Cannabis Act, to legalize the use and possession of recreational marijuana;
WHEREAS Bill C-45 (the Cannabis Act) does not adequately outline the individual powers Provincial and Municipal Governments will have in enforcing the consumption and possession of marijuana in their own boundaries;
WHEREAS Bill C-45 does not provide sufficient preventive measures from young persons (defined as 12-18 years of age) buying, possessing or consuming cannabis;
WHEREAS healthy residents, families and neighborhoods are fundamental to the effective operation and success of municipalities;
WHEREAS there is not adequately-proven technology to test for cannabis impairment in safety-sensitive positions;
WHEREAS the impairment of municipal workers and citizens constitutes a high risk liability towards the safety for all municipalities;
WHEREAS the short timeline for municipalities to create regulations may not be sufficient to create policies and regulatory strategies by July 1, 2018, creating the situation where business enterprises would have the opportunity to develop in the municipality contrary to the policy desires of Councils; and
WHEREAS the impact of Bill C-45 will result in increased operating expenditures for municipalities to enforce a new suite of regulations.
The introduction and first reading of Bill C-45 by the Government of Canada has instigated a process by which a significant extra burden and responsibility could be placed on communities to govern and direct a legal framework associated with the legalization and regulation of cannabis, thereby decreasing the capacity of the municipality to deal with other situations should they arise.
- AUMA’s current policy position includes requesting regulations well in advance of implementation to provide sufficient time for municipalities to prepare required bylaws relating to restrictions on production, distribution, and consumption activities, and applicable enforcement. As well, AUMA requested that community peace officers be considered as a component of the enforcement activities (and will need funding for training and equipment), and that national building code standards will need to be reviewed to ensure appropriate provisions are in place for home grows. See AUMA’s Marijuana Municipal Resources webpage.