Are Illegal Dispensaries in Hamilton Getting Off Easy?

Hamilton | Ontario | Crime | Latest News | Politics |

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Published September 16, 2019 at 7:15 pm

Hamilton Police and the city want the province to take a tougher stance with operators of illegal dispensaries.

Hamilton Police and the city want the province to take a tougher stance with operators of illegal dispensaries.

At last week’s Police Services Board meeting, Police Chief Eric Girt offered an update on the enforcement of illegal dispensaries.

Girt said that while there are no brick and mortar unlicensed dispensaries operating in Hamilton, those that operate out of private residences are more complicated to deal with.

Properties are seized and then turned back over to property owners or landowners with the assurance that the property will not be used as a dispensary again.

Girt praised the chief counsel’s efforts to establish $25,000 sureties on some properties to ensure compliance.

“I’ve heard word on the street that in some of the decisions on the illegals, the courts have gone soft,” said councillor Tom Jackson.

He said he’s concerned that after all of the effort and resources spent on this line of enforcement, if the courts aren’t following through when levying fines, it doesn’t send a “clear, powerful message.”

Police Superintendent Ryan Diodati said that so far, the majority of fines they’ve seen have ranged from $100 to $500, acknowledging that the highest they’ve seen is $6,200, which isn’t enough to cover the cost of the enforcement.

Jackson called those numbers ‘mind-boggling,’ especially when you consider the amount of money these operations took in.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger suggested that perhaps the board should consider drafting a letter to the Attorney General to express the city’s ‘dismay’ with the minimal fines.

Councillor Chad Collins seized on the idea and said he feels there should be an accounting of how much ‘energy and resources’ went into these enforcements.

Girt did say that they’ve tapped into resources within the OPP and municipal grants to fund these types of operations but there have been costs to Hamilton taxpayers, a tally that was unavailable at the time.

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