Fort Frances council is giving the green light to cannabis stores being set up in town.
The decision was unanimous.
Councillor Doug Judson feels the exercise was academic given how the province has issued the first licenses.
“Instead of targeting communities or regions in transition or northern First Nations or those that have recently lost major industry or any number of laudable public policies, they have doled out licenses to anyone who woke up last Monday and decided to sell pot,” says Judson.
Judson is also disappointed how communities in the Rainy River district have been relegated to the sidelines in the process.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission has selected just 25 individual and companies through a lottery for the first stores which will only be set up in communities with a population of 50,000 or more.
“I believe cannabis retailing should be made available in our community, but I must say in reporting our recommendation I am thoroughly disappointed with the framework provided by the province and without how communities in the northwest have been sidelined by this process.”
Fort Frances is just the latest community to make a decision on cannabis stores.
Thunder Bay city council also voted Monday night to accept cannabis stores.
The township of La Vallee and Sioux Narrows-Nestor Fall also recently let the AGCO known they too will allow cannabis stores.