Ontario to ban cannabis in homes offering childcare, increase retail stores for operators
Ontario is banning the growing of cannabis in homes offering childcare services while increasing the number of stores retailers can operate in the province.
The changes will be proposed in a new omnibus bill entitled the Enhancing Justice Act on Thursday.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
The bill, if passed, will make it illegal to cultivate recreational cannabis in homes that offer childcare services.
“We find this deeply unsettling and inappropriate. And quite frankly, I never imagined we'd even have to legislate this,” Attorney General Doug Downey told reporters.
Downey could not provide examples of incidents in which cannabis was found in a home offering childcare services, instead saying “this came up because there were issues.”
“It's not a judgment on the quality childcare or on the childcare facilities themselves. It's simply an exposure issue. We just don't want it commingling.”
At the same time, the legislation will increase the number of storefronts a cannabis operator can manage in Ontario.
Previous regulations capped the number of stores per operator at 75, while legislating the stand-alone stores must be at least 150 metres away from schools. Individuals under the age of 19 are not allowed inside.
The new bill will now allow licensed cannabis retailers to operate up to 150 storefronts.
Officials say this is to “respond to the growth of the legal cannabis retail market and combat illegal cannabis stores.”
Canada legalized recreational marijuana five years ago this October. Since then, retailers have reported intense competition, which has pushed some to sell their business.
There are more than 1,700 cannabis stores across the province authorized to be open by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Another 56 applications are in progress.
With files from the Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides
Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'
Following child's death in Ontario, here's what you need to know about rabies
An Ontario child died last month after coming into contact with a rabid bat in their bedroom, which was the first known human rabies case in Canada since 2019.
NDP house leader laments 'agents of chaos' in precarious Parliament
NDP House leader Peter Julian says there's more his party wants to do in Parliament before the next election, but if the current dysfunction continues it will become a factor in how they vote on a confidence measure.
Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme
A judge ripped into a Colorado county clerk for her crimes and lies before sentencing her Thursday to nine years behind bars for a data-breach scheme spawned from the rampant false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
Here's what the jury didn't hear in Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial
A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.
Youth pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of P.E.I. teen Tyson MacDonald
A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
A French judge in a shocking rape case allows the public to see some of the video evidence
A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes.
2 dead after fire rips through historic building in Old Montreal
At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building in Old Montreal early Friday morning, sources told Noovo Info.
Scientists looked at images from space to see how fast Antarctica is turning green. Here's what they found
Parts of icy Antarctica are turning green with plant life at an alarming rate as the region is gripped by extreme heat events, according to new research, sparking concerns about the changing landscape on this vast continent.