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It came out of nowhere and sounded like a belated April Fool's joke.
Late last week in the Muskoka town of MacTier, word began spreading that councillors had quietly voted to consider a plan to shut down the local arena and allow a private company to take it over.
The proposed new business: a medical marijuana factory.
"I was caught off guard. I didn't really believe it," said Steven Schell, a long-time resident of the cottage town, home to about 1,000 people.
The MacTier Community Centre – a place where local couples get married, kids play hockey and seniors play cards – sits in the centre of town, directly across the street from an elementary school. The distance from one building to the other is 67 metres, according to Schell, who measured it Wednesday afternoon.
"I can throw a golf ball that far," said the father of three, a local contractor. "When our kids are outside playing in the playground, they'd be looking across the street at a marijuana grow-op."
Councillors for the Township of Georgian Bay voted last week in a closed-door meeting to sign a letter of intent with Mettrum Ltd. – the Ontario-based company proposing to create the factory – and begin discussions about the proposed pot production and research plant.
A news release from the office of Mayor Larry Braid says the project would create 12 to 30 jobs, boost the local economy and save the municipality and taxpayers money. It costs about $250,000 annually to run the arena, but according to the township it only takes in about $40,000.
The town and Mettrum are hosting a public meeting to discuss the project Saturday at the community centre.
"If there's an appetite for this to go (forward), then maybe we'll consider it. If there's a clear message that this is not the way to proceed, then that will be the clear message we'll take away," said local councillor Louise Rivett.
A contingent of flabbergasted MacTier residents has formed an opposition committee and plans to attend the meeting armed with research. They say they don't oppose development or even having a marijuana factory in the township, but they disagree with the location.
"You don't plunk something like that right in the middle of a residential area," said Roy Lovold, a local paramedic.
Mettrum has applied to Health Canada for a research and development licence under the proposed "Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations" and would run its facility according to the government's strict rules, said Mettrum CEO Gregory Herriott.
The negative response to the proposal reflects the "current public perception on medical marijuana," he said.
"Health Canada has recognized it as bona fide medicine. The perception would be a lot different if we were producing Aspirin."
But residents say it's not about the marijuana – it could be tomatoes and they would still protest losing the community's only real gathering place.
Town officials have suggested new recreational facilities would be built with dollars saved, but there is no concrete plan on paper. For Schell and others, that's not good enough.
"The town's excuse for closing the community centre is that it is not making a profit. I did a lot of research and I have not found one municipality in Ontario that has an arena that does make a profit," Schell said.
"We don't want to lose our only community centre. And we don't want a medical marijuana grow-op in the middle of town."
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: thestar.com
Author: Amy Dempsey
Contact: Contact Us | Toronto Star
Website: Small-town Muskoka hockey rink may become medical marijuana factory | Toronto Star
Late last week in the Muskoka town of MacTier, word began spreading that councillors had quietly voted to consider a plan to shut down the local arena and allow a private company to take it over.
The proposed new business: a medical marijuana factory.
"I was caught off guard. I didn't really believe it," said Steven Schell, a long-time resident of the cottage town, home to about 1,000 people.
The MacTier Community Centre – a place where local couples get married, kids play hockey and seniors play cards – sits in the centre of town, directly across the street from an elementary school. The distance from one building to the other is 67 metres, according to Schell, who measured it Wednesday afternoon.
"I can throw a golf ball that far," said the father of three, a local contractor. "When our kids are outside playing in the playground, they'd be looking across the street at a marijuana grow-op."
Councillors for the Township of Georgian Bay voted last week in a closed-door meeting to sign a letter of intent with Mettrum Ltd. – the Ontario-based company proposing to create the factory – and begin discussions about the proposed pot production and research plant.
A news release from the office of Mayor Larry Braid says the project would create 12 to 30 jobs, boost the local economy and save the municipality and taxpayers money. It costs about $250,000 annually to run the arena, but according to the township it only takes in about $40,000.
The town and Mettrum are hosting a public meeting to discuss the project Saturday at the community centre.
"If there's an appetite for this to go (forward), then maybe we'll consider it. If there's a clear message that this is not the way to proceed, then that will be the clear message we'll take away," said local councillor Louise Rivett.
A contingent of flabbergasted MacTier residents has formed an opposition committee and plans to attend the meeting armed with research. They say they don't oppose development or even having a marijuana factory in the township, but they disagree with the location.
"You don't plunk something like that right in the middle of a residential area," said Roy Lovold, a local paramedic.
Mettrum has applied to Health Canada for a research and development licence under the proposed "Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations" and would run its facility according to the government's strict rules, said Mettrum CEO Gregory Herriott.
The negative response to the proposal reflects the "current public perception on medical marijuana," he said.
"Health Canada has recognized it as bona fide medicine. The perception would be a lot different if we were producing Aspirin."
But residents say it's not about the marijuana – it could be tomatoes and they would still protest losing the community's only real gathering place.
Town officials have suggested new recreational facilities would be built with dollars saved, but there is no concrete plan on paper. For Schell and others, that's not good enough.
"The town's excuse for closing the community centre is that it is not making a profit. I did a lot of research and I have not found one municipality in Ontario that has an arena that does make a profit," Schell said.
"We don't want to lose our only community centre. And we don't want a medical marijuana grow-op in the middle of town."
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: thestar.com
Author: Amy Dempsey
Contact: Contact Us | Toronto Star
Website: Small-town Muskoka hockey rink may become medical marijuana factory | Toronto Star
