Statement from Mayor Doug Craig on cannabis revenue

City of Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig said the new cannabis tax revenue-sharing agreement between the provinces and federal government is a step in the right direction for municipalities.

“It means that we can now start discussing with the Province the significant costs that will be associated with enforcement, zoning and other operations at the local level,” he said. “We want to understand how this money will be shared with us and we would like a formal agreement to be in place by July 1, 2018. We need to get this right from day one.”

The federal government agreed this week to give provinces and territories a 75 per cent share of federal excise tax revenues from the sale of legalized pot. The remaining 25 per cent -- to a maximum of $100 million a year -- will stay with the federal government. The federal government had originally proposed a 50-50 split model.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has proposed that one third of cannabis excise tax revenues go to local government.

“We are committed to the responsible regulation, distribution and oversight of legalized cannabis,” added Mayor Craig. “At the same time, we must ensure that we have the necessary resources in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our residents.”