The provincial government needs to provide towns and counties with more funding to deal with projected costs associated with the legalization of cannabis, according to associations representing rural and urban municipalities.
The comments come after the province unveiled the new Municipal Cannabis Transition Program (MCTP), which will provide some municipalities with $11.2 million to help cover cannabis-related costs.
A Mountain View County councillor and the president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA), Al Kemmere says the MCTP does not provide enough money and omits funding for some municipalities altogether.
“While we understand the legalization of recreational cannabis was a federal decision, adequate provincial sharing of the federal excise tax is needed to ensure that all of Alberta’s municipalities can enforce local bylaws effectively for the health and safety of their residents,” Kemmere said.
“The recent announcement provides some support to some larger urban centres; however, rural areas rely on RCMP to monitor and handle criminal activity, not develop and enforce municipal bylaws.
“The lack of funding through the Municipal Cannabis Transition Program made available to Alberta’s rural and small urban municipalities raises significant concerns as to the effective enforcement of bylaws guiding recreational cannabis use.”
The province should have conducted more extensive consultations with rural municipalities before legalization, he said.
“The province has placed significant responsibility on municipalities to develop and enforce bylaws that identify land use restrictions for production facilities, and public consumption rules within municipal boundaries, which will require monitoring and enforcement to protect public health and reduce the risk of exposure for children,” he said.
The RMA believes all municipalities in Alberta, including the 69 represented by the association, should be receiving a 50 per cent share of federal cannabis excise tax revenues that are distributed from the federal government to the provincial government “in order to partially address costs associated with increased planning and enforcement responsibility,” he said.
“The MCTP provides minimal funding to a limited number of Alberta’s municipalities, not reflecting the challenges that rural and small urban municipalities will have in addressing this issue effectively in their communities.”
The Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA), which represents Didsbury, Olds, Carstairs, Sundre and other towns and villages, is also calling on the province to provide more funding in support of cannabis costs.
“We are extremely disappointed with this announcement,” said AUMA president Barry Morishita. “Hundreds of Alberta communities are being forced to choose between hiking property taxes and putting public safety at risk and that is unacceptable.
“This ongoing lack of meaningful consultation from the provincial government has resulted in the province not fully comprehending the impact cannabis legalization will have across Alberta.”
The AUMA may approach the federal government about the potential of withholding the province’s portion of the excise taxes realized through cannabis sales “until the provincial government comes back to the table to ensure our communities remain safe.”
Shaye Anderson, minister of Municipal Affairs, says the $11.2 million provided by the MCTP over two years will be helpful to municipalities.
“Our cities and towns are the front lines when dealing with many aspects of cannabis legalization. This funding will help offset some of the costs they’re facing,” said Anderson.
“I look forward to continue working with local leaders to understand the real-world effects of legalization.”
The grants will help offset enforcement and other implementation costs at the local level, he said.
“The province will continue to work with municipalities to determine next steps and better understand the impacts during the first two years of legalization,” he said.
