Hamilton council digest: Have your say on legal pot stores

The city will poll residents online about the prospect of hosting legal pot shops before council decides whether to opt in or out of that opportunity Jan. 14. A full council on Wednesday voted to put off a final decision on legal cannabis stores until the new year. But it loaded city staff with a long holiday wish list of new information requests ahead of the pivotal meeting - including reports on policing costs, economic impact and provincial funding related to legal pot shops. Cities across Ontario have until Jan. 22 to opt in or out of hosting legal post shops under new provincial rules. Ottawa and Toronto have opted in while Brampton, Markham, Mississauga, Pickering and Richmond Hill are among a growing number of cities to say no to legal pot stores - at least for now. Burlington has also delayed its decision to allow for more public consultation. A resident survey will be posted sometime in the next couple of weeks at hamilton.ca.