Cannabis centre stage at community meeting
Cannabis has been a controversial topic in town for years. Courtesy Canva
For the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK), Wednesday’s community meeting at the Golden Age Club was an opportunity to show their work on the cannabis file, following last week’s protest against the opening of cannabis dispensaries in town and the ongoing disagreements about the introduction of the cannabis business to the territory.
“I think there’s been some concern or confusion based off of incorrect information, so we wanted to show what the cannabis board has been doing up until this point,” said MCK grand chief Cody Diabo.
This includes, for example, where dispensaries would be allowed to operate in town.
“A lot of the concerns were taken and implemented in the regulations,” he said.
Diabo acknowledged that the issue remains very divisive, and that it is very probable that no solution will please everyone.
“It’s really about trying to figure out how we can come to some type of direction together,” said Diabo.
He said that community meetings and similar open forums will be how things can be worked out on the cannabis file.
“We have to talk with one another, and we have to have these open meetings, where we can have this dialog back and forth. And it may get heated at times, but it’s always important to remain respectful at the end of the day. We all want what’s best for Kahnawake,” said Diabo.
As of now, Diabo said that the council table will continue to discuss the matter following the protest and the community meeting.
“We are taking it really seriously, we’re weighing everything,” said Diabo.
Another topic that took up the bulk of the meeting was the work Fair Wage Agreement, the Kahnawake Occupational Safety and Health Law, and the 2014 Labor Agreement.
“Some people had concerns with previous agreements. We need to work on communicating and really making sure that the law that we’re proposing are actually meeting the expectations of the community,” said Diabo.
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He added that David Diabo, chief for the regulatory boards and commissions and labour portfolio, will be looking into these concerns.
An explanation of the new trade agreement with the Iroquois Caucus communities, as well as looking for feedback on how much the MCK should invest in the Hertel line project by March 2026, were other topics broached in the meeting.
