It was a resounding no from the residents of Winkler on whether they wanted cannabis stores in their city.
Seventy per cent of Winkler voters (2,112 people) said no in an election night plebiscite while just 923 opted for yes.
“The community has spoke and we have said right from the outset, people’s wishes will be adhered to, and we will honour their vote,” Winkler mayor Martin Harder said.
“Too many young kids are being able to get a hold of that stuff,” said one resident who voted no.
“It’s another intoxicant and I worry about people being on the highway,” added another Winkler resident against it.
Where to go?
The province said it hopes that within two years, 90 per cent of Manitobans will be able to get legal pot within a 30-minute drive or less.
So where does this leave the residents of Winkler? Well just a short drive down the road is the city of Morden.
Outgoing Morden mayor Ken Wiebe said before he decided not to run for the job again, council voted to not even have a plebiscite, saying marijuana is already in the community and they shouldn’t rule out a store if a retailer came calling.
“To deny the fact it’s in community, you may as well have your head in sand. It’s there.”
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Current Morden mayor Brandon Burley said he’s not up to speed on the issue as of yet, but agrees with Wiebe’s take.
Wiebe said it would be a safe option for Morden and the area if it happens.
“With a storefront, you know what quality you’re getting. Out of a trunk? You don’t know what you’re getting,” Wiebe said.
Delta 9 spokesperson Gary Symons said the province issued documents asking interested parties to apply if they wanted to become a potential operator for cannabis “microstores” in smaller, rural communities.
He said they’ve qualified and are now waiting on a licence before any decision is made.
“Morden might be one of those communities, but until we actually get a license, we won’t be doing too much research on which communities we want to go into,” Symons said in a statement.
Other results
Steinbach also voted no on their pot plebiscite with 3696 voters saying no and 1703 saying yes. The RMs of Riding Mountain West, Stanley, Stuartburn, and Wallace-Woodworth all said no while the towns of Snow Lake and Lac du Bonnet were the only two to say yes.
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