On Wednesday, the Ontario government announced that it will issue up to eight licences for those wishing to operate a cannabis store on First Nations reserves — but Indigenous leaders and those involved with cannabis say this decision poses jurisdictional issues.
The announcement from the Ontario government comes almost a month after the Chiefs of Ontario voted to assert jurisdiction over all cannabis operations in First Nations territories.
“Limiting those number of stores is contrary to what we call community sovereignty — that is those communities making their own decisions whether they’re going to operate a retail cannabis operation,” Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald told Global News on Thursday.
“It’s an attempt by the government of Ontario to assert its jurisdiction where it doesn’t belong.”
According to Archibald, the Ontario government did not consult with First Nations regarding the eight cannabis store licences.
“They did not talk to us at all. There’s been no consultation on the number of stores, nothing,” she said. “This kind of unilateral action is not acceptable, especially given that the chiefs passed a resolution specifically on their own sovereignty and jurisdiction over cannabis sales and production in their communities.”
[…]
See Also:
(1) Bill Blair refutes Ontario government’s claim there’s not enough pot to go around
(3) The real carbon tax is the money provinces are spending on lawyers
