By Manitoba Bill Would Let Cannabis Stores Uncover Windows
The Manitoba government is proposing new rules that would let cannabis stores remove the window coverings blocking the public’s view of the shops, amid concerns they could be putting staff at risk. A new bill introduced in the legislature Monday, if passed into law, would allow cannabis stores to uncover their windows. The industry has complained that blocked windows hide store employees from public view, potentially making them more vulnerable to crime.
Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said no Manitoban should have to worry about their safety while going to work.
Window Coverings and Product Display Rules
The new law won’t change the requirement that cannabis products be hidden from view from the exterior of shops. Wiebe said that law remains important because “we don’t want kids riding by [on their bike] and seeing cannabis and being enticed into trying a product that’s not appropriate for them.”
In May, a man entered a retail cannabis store in Winnipeg, waited for a customer to leave, then locked himself inside the shop with a woman working alone. The 24-year-old woman was sexually assaulted. A suspect was later arrested, police said at the time.
Minimum Staffing Rules Also Proposed
The bill would also authorize the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba to establish a minimum number of staff members in a cannabis store during specified hours, a government news release said Monday.
Wiebe said Monday the government understands there needs to be flexibility around any minimum staffing rules that are implemented.
Keith Horn, president of the Retail Cannabis Council of Manitoba, said it isn’t financially feasible for some smaller cannabis shops to have more than one employee working at once.
The bill must still pass before it becomes law.
