A cannabis producer and advocate wants to see retail sales bans in two Manitoba Bible Belt communities go up in smoke. Jesse Lavoie of TobaGrown, which advocates for cannabis access and education in the province, wants Winkler and Steinbach to hold referendums on opening cannabis stores in next year's municipal elections.
"People want to support local businesses," Lavoie said. "People have to drive now to get it — what about if you don't drive? In Winkler, it is 11 minutes from the city hall to the closest store in Morden, and it is a one-minute walk to the liquor store."
Lavoie said Steinbach council recently rejected his request to order a referendum, while a similar vote in Winkler ended in a tie when one councillor was absent.
"We've asked the (Winkler) mayor and council to hold another vote when all the councillors are there," he said.
Lavoie said if the cities continue to refuse holding votes on the matter, he will try to get enough signatures to force a vote, as mandated by the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act. Twenty per cent of eligible voters in each city would have to sign the petition to trigger a referendum. That works out to about 3,000 voters in Steinbach and about 2,000 in Winkler.
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