Tecumseh Opts In on Retail Cannabis Stores

Tecumseh has joined the rest of Windsor-Essex in allowing retail cannabis stores within the municipality.

Council voted against the stores in December 2018 opting to take a wait and see approach as the market developed.

On Tuesday night, councillors heard from representatives from the Ontario Cannabis Store who laid out the pros and cons of hosting pot shops with council ultimately deciding to move forward.

OCS Senior Director John Mans says the legal market is much safer than anything he encountered in his decades in law enforcement.

"What is the illegal market advertising? What are they putting out there for sale? What is their price point? We are considerably cheaper and on par with them, but the difference being I spent 30 years fighting it and it never went away. So the way the system is now, it's much safer."

Vice President of Education at OCS, Tony Priolo, says the cannabis industry is booming despite the pandemic.

"It's one of the only industries right now where brick and mortars are actually continuing to open up outpacing many other industries. Cannabis is booming and it seems to be booming in many communities across the province."

Councillor Tania Jobin says it's the right time for Tecumseh to jump in.

"Just in experiencing and even observing some of the open stores in the neighbouring municipalities, I think for us, as a community, the timing is right because we did observe other municipalities and what has gone on and what has occurred. We have set in standard in saying we're going to wait because we want to make it right and I think that this is the right time for us."

With the approval, Tecumseh becomes the last municipality in the region to opt in.

Since legalization in October 2018, more than 500 stores have set up shop across Ontario with roughly 30 located in Windsor-Essex.