12-16-2020, 03:57 PM
(12-16-2020, 12:26 PM)tomh009 Wrote:(12-16-2020, 10:50 AM)ac3r Wrote: 7 new marijuana stores are set to open downtown and council is not having any of it. These people are not only out of touch and seem like they're against it as a substance, but they should also not be micromanaging stuff at this level: https://www.cambridgetimes.ca/news-story...kitchener/
Well, no, the "council" is not trying to control it. Sarah Marsh said it's too many (in her opinion) but that's not the same as the council trying to control it. And the council really can't, anyway, except by modifying the zoning bylaws, and I don't expect to see that happening.
There may be seven applications for DTK but I really don't expect to see them all open: some later ones will end up being abandoned. And, longer term, probably only two or three can thrive in the downtown area.
P.S. There is no reason to believe that four DTK shops would sell more marijuana than two shops would.
"At a council meeting on Monday, Marsh put forward a motion asking other councillors and the mayor to ask the province to change the rules when it comes to deciding where cannabis stores can open.
Marsh said the province should consider “overconcentration as an evaluation criteria” and require a 500-metre distance separating pot stores.
“We want more say,” said Marsh in an interview. “We know our city best.”"
It seemed pretty clear that she both felt that the city should have control over these things, and that she attempted to exert influence in some form.
"“If I was a cannabis retail owner in downtown, I wouldn’t want six others to compete with,” Marsh said."
Indeed, this is an amazing statement. Yes, if I ran a business, I would also prefer less competition. But ultimately, that isn't how business should work.
I mean, I'm as progressive and anti-capitalist as anyone (well, maybe not anyone), but I find this a very troubling belief.