Kitchener and Waterloo residents may soon be able to purchase marijuana legally at a storefront within the area.
Kitchener and Waterloo councils both voted Monday to opt into the province’s plan for storefronts within the cities’ borders.
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Both Waterloo and Kitchener councils were unanimous in their decision.
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The cities had until Jan. 22 to make a call as to whether it would opt in or out of the province’s plan.
In a report, city of Kitchener staff had advised council to opt in for financial and safety reasons. City of Waterloo staff also urged its council to make a similar decision.
However, just because the cities have chosen to opt into the program, that does not mean that a store will be located within their boundaries.
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The Ontario government announced in December that it would allow 25 stores to open within the province in December with seven of those being located in a west region which stretches from Georgian Bay to Windsor and also includes several other large cities including Hamilton and London.
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Last week, a draw was held for licences and seven people/companies were handed the opportunity to open a store in the West Region. None of the seven has given any indication as to where they will open the stores.
Cambridge council will hold their vote on Tuesday. City staff have also recommended that it opts into the provincial government’s plan.