Oshawa backs week tax for municipalities

By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express

Oshawa Mayor John Henry is again calling on senior levels of government to assist municipalities in preparing for the impacts of legalized marijuana.

During council’s regular meeting on Feb. 20, members endorsed a resolution from the Town of Lakeshore (located southwest of Sarnia) calling on the provincial and federal governments to allocate a “proportionate” amount of tax revenue from the sale of marijuana to lower-tier municipalities.

This proposed allocation would be similar to the Federal Gas Tax Fund.

Henry says the legalization of marijuana will create a “windfall of a magnitude the provincial and federal governments have never seen before.”

However, to him, the majority of the responsibility falls on lower-tier municipalities.

“It wasn’t a problem created by this or any other lower-tier municipality. The decision was made without any consultation, yet they receive all the profits,” Henry states.

Oshawa’s mayor wants full recovery of any costs incurred by the city from legalization and predicts there could be confusion if cities across the country have different rules in place.

“We need some guidance and leadership [from the provincial and federal governments] and I truly believe they have failed.”

Henry also suggests Service Oshawa retain the numbers of the provincial and federal ministers responsible on “speed dial” when local residents have concerns or complaints regarding legalization.