Preliminary talks have begun throughout the Pembina Valley on the proposed marijuana legislation the Federal Government is looking implement July 1, 2018.

A meeting was held Monday involving the Pembina Valley Reeves and Mayors (PVRAM) group. RM of Stanley Reeve Morris Olafson said with so many people at the table it was hard to come to a consensus on one thing.

Olafson did say the need for more information about the legislation would be required before his council would make a decision.

"So at this point, we don't know how it's going to be laid out," said Olafson.

He explained many questions remain, like what type of stores will sell marijuana and the conditions for growing the product.

Even though the municipality may receive funds from the taxation of marijuana, Olafson said there would likely be added costs for policing.

"I see it as a net loss or at best a wash," said Olafson.

'We just want more information one way or another before we say yes or no," he added. "We don't approve anything unless we know what it looks like."

The following is a news release issued by the  Pembina Valley Reeves and Mayors who met on December 11, 2017, to discuss the Provincial process on the legalization of Cannabis. 13 out of the 14 member municipalities were in attendance.

Pembina Valley Reeves and Mayors came to the following consensus:

    • THAT the municipalities in Manitoba have not been provided with adequate information (ie such as zoning by-law) in order to make decisions necessary, and that the arbitrary date of December 22, 2017, is not enough time to make such decisions
    • THAT in order to provide local economic opportunities, provisions should be made to allow ALL retail establishments the ability to apply for the retail license to sell cannabis
    • THAT an appropriate revenue sharing formula needs to be established in order to:
    • Offset the costs of any additional social issues surrounding the legalization of Cannabis
    • And also to offset the additional costs of enforcement
    • THAT the imminent legalization of Cannabis as proposed by the Federal and Provincial Governments may result in inconsistencies in how these laws are applied, which could be challenging for enforcement.
    • It was clear that individual members of different municipalities had different challenges that need to be addressed on a more localized front, leaving the decision to reply to the Provincial response to individual municipalities.


The purpose of PVRAM is to be a unified voice which will actively engage the Provincial and Federal Government to address significant regional issues, as well as provide solutions.