Cannabis advocates will make their case to Newmarket council about why it should reconsider its decision to bar retail outlets in town.
Newmarket council will hear a delegation from retail cannabis representatives about changing its decision.
Council will also give final approval to its budget and decide on a new pickleball facility proposal.
Here is what NewmarketToday will be following at the Dec. 11 council meeting:
Retail cannabis
A group of industry advocates who helped get Mississauga to open up the sale of cannabis hopes to do the same in Newmarket.
Newmarket opted out of allowing retail cannabis within its borders as permitted under Ontario cannabis regulations in 2019. The town is one of several municipalities in the region to do so, keeping stores out of Newmarket, with many going into Aurora, which opted in.
The town has stood by the decision since. Mayor John Taylor has expressed concern that the municipality would have no control from a planning perspective on stores coming into town. Stores are regulated by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, which disallows them within 150 metres of schools, but otherwise does not restrict stores that pass an application process as long as they go into areas zoned for business.
Rianna Ford, Cyrus Hambaz and Brett Unger will present to council, following their group's success in Mississauga, which also previously opted out of retail cannabis, to open up the city for stores in April.
Ford has previously said her pitch would be for the town to revisit the issue, asking that staff gather information and prepare a report for council consideration.
The group has visited other municipalities that opted out of attempting to sway them, including in Vaughan. Ford said that was unsuccessful, but she still hopes Vaughan could be convinced if they get more residents involved.
A cannabis store attempting to defy the rules did open in Newmarket in October, but police shut it down the next month.
Newmarket finalizing budget
Newmarket is set to approve its final budget with a planned 3.99 per cent tax rate increase.
Council had previously been planning a 2.99 per cent increase but agreed to add an extra one per cent this year dedicated to helping construct future recreation projects.
The 3.99 per cent increase would add approximately $94 to the annual tax bill of a home in Newmarket assessed at $702,000.
Council will also be giving final approval to fee increases coming into effect Jan. 1, part of municipal efforts to keep the tax rate lower in the face of inflation.
The town’s tax rate increase is still expected to be below many GTA municipalities. East Gwillimbury approved a 6.7 per cent increase, Georgina approved a 5.51 per cent increase and Aurora is looking at a 3.9 per cent increase.
Pickleball proposal
Council will decide whether to make George Richardson Park the home of a new pickleball facility.
Staff are proposing the location on one of the mini-soccer fields, after running into difficulties with a previously proposed Lions Park location.
But council sought more information before deciding to address concerns on issues like location and noise impact. A follow-up report from staff said there were few locations in town that had the space and ground conditions to allow for a 14 to 20-court facility where a sports bubble could be erected for the winter. Other criteria such as parking capacity were also considered.
As for noise concerns, the report said bubbling should prevent that from being an issue during the winter. As for the summer, the report said that noise considerations would be incorporated into the design process, such as tree plantings and acoustic fences.
“The closest home is 185 feet away from the facility,” the report said. “There are several noise mitigation measures that can occur at this site, including further development of the already existing berm that backs onto the eastern residences.”
The proposed resolution from staff is to approve the site for the pickleball facility and begin with design and costing.
The town is streaming the council meeting at 1 p.m. You can view the meeting at newmarket.ca/meetings or attend in person at 395 Mulock Dr. You can also arrange a deputation or send correspondence by emailing [email protected].
