AMO Conference 2018
Ottawa Ontario
Day Three– August 22, 2018
Four representatives from the Town of Fort Erie, Mayor Redekop, Councillor Passero, Councillor Butler and CAO Tom Kuchyt, are all attending the 2018 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Ottawa this week.

At the end of each day a re-cap of the day’s events specifically those pertaining to Fort Erie will be posted on the Fort Erie Blog.

Wednesday was the final day of the 2018 AMO Conference and Mayor Redkeop attended the discussion about Cannabis and Communities – Here and Now. Six individuals engaged in the roll out of the program, from the provincial, federal and local perspectives, spoke about the impending implementation of the new cannabis legislation and its implications, particularly for municipalities. The most immediate challenge is the adoption of the federal government’s regulations to the municipal legislation.

Bryan Larkin, Waterloo Region Chief of Police spoke about the challenges to the police and the opportunities that will arise for education with a slant towards prevention. The two municipal presenters expressed a lot of anxiety about the cost and resources associated with municipalities having to take on a significant burden once the legislation is in place, without the necessary tools being given to us by the province. The local issues will range from the decision as to whether to opt out of retail sales in the municipality, possible zoning issues, building and fire inspections, business licensing and by-law enforcement.
The 2018 AMO Conference was a beneficial event for the Town of Fort Erie; our attendees attended a variety of sessions of various interests to the Town and met with Ministers who have the ability to further make Fort Erie a welcoming, prosperous, connected community of choice.