The City held their annual Your Voice night, focusing mainly on cannabis regulations this year. There were five laws up for discussion with residents, four that involved marijuana and the Traffic Bylaw.
Resident Luke Russell says that he came to the event to hear the correct information straight from City administration to help clear up any speculation about the new changes.
“It’s very important, especially for our younger generation, including myself. We need to express our voices because eventually we’re going to be needing to make these decisions and enforce these rules and come up with ideas to help our City.”
The event was set up with City employees answering any questions people had, while providing information about the changes in the laws. City Clerk Doug Rodwell says that there was a broad spectrum of feedback he heard from residents.
“We’ve heard some people who were pleased with the direction we’re travelling in, we’ve heard some people who were displeased with the direction we’re travelling in. I think the displeasure is more focused on their not happy with legalization rather than the City’s actions in regards to it.”
All five laws have had their first reading in Council and are in the process of being passed. Russell says that his personal concern was the Business Licence Bylaw.
“I heard that the business licences are going to be quite high in comparison to the liquor and the tobacco in town. So I wanted to make sure it was fair to give opportunity for, hypothetically myself to set up a store not that I want to, but if I wanted to then I’d have the equal opportunity than more of the wealthy people in town.”
Rodwell says that residents feedback will be taken seriously and they will look at whether or not the City has the jurisdiction to make any changes to the rules.
