Pubdate: Tue, 30 Jan 2018 Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Copyright: 2018 Canoe Limited Partnership Contact: http://www.winnipegsun.com/letter-to-editor Website: http://www.winnipegsun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503 Author: Joyanne Pursaga Page: 4 PLANNING FOR POT City forms committee to prepare for legal weed The City of Winnipeg has formed a new committee to guide its pot plans. The Cannabis Co-ordination Committee will guide local preparations as the feds prepare to legalize recreational marijuana sales, effective July 1. "The legalization of cannabis represents one of the most significant legal, social and economic policy changes our country has seen since prohibition and ... our municipal government needs to do everything we can to be as ready as possible for its legalization later this year," said Mayor Brian Bowman. Bowman said the city needs to ensure its rules reduce safety risks associated with cannabis. The city will be responsible for zoning regulations related to where the drug is sold, while its police service will need to run enforcement on crimes like drugged driving. Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface) will lead the committee, supported by chief innovation officer Michael Legary on the administrative side. The committee also includes councillors Mike Pagtakhan (Point Douglas), Cindy Gilroy (Daniel Mcintyre) and Scott Gillingham (St. James-Brooklands-Weston). But the province has yet to confirm what portion of federal pot tax revenue could be passed on to the city to handle its pot-related responsibilities. "All three levels of government are going to have costs and they're going to be incremental to their existing services," said Bowman. The federal government recently proposed giving provinces 75% of the revenue from its $1-per-gram excise tax on pot, in part to ensure some of that money is passed on to municipalities. But Manitoba Municipal Relations Minister Jeff Wharton said his government is still pushing for a tax model that ensures government pot isn't over-priced. "Given our objective of ensuring price competitiveness and eliminating the black market, combined with additional expenditures required for health and education, there is limited room for new taxation,"wrote Wharton in an email to The Sun. The city's cannabis committee is expected to report to council's executive policy committee with policy recommendations in the next few months. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt