City officials insist the municipality has not given a business licence to Sudbury man who wants to open a pot edibles menu cafe when it becomes legal.

"There have been no city approvals provided to After Dark Cafe & Edibles," Shannon Dowling, communications and media relations officer with the city, said.

Jason LaFauci, however, said he received a business licence from Service Canada.

"We went to (Tom Davies Square) to register our business," LaFauci said. "We were told that if we wanted to register our business for a cafe that we would have to go to Service Canada. That's what we did. They let us do it. There was no problem, no flak, no nothing."

Dowling, though, again disagreed, saying what LaFauci received from Service Canada is a master business licence through the province of Ontario that protects the naming of the business.

"The city has a business licensing bylaw and a business registration bylaw. Under the latter, eating or drinking establishments are required to register their business with the city," Dowling said. "I can again confirm the business in question has not registered their business with the City of Greater Sudbury."

LaFauci said he has been talking to city hall officials and local law enforcement about the proposed cafe for some time.

"They're pretty receptive to it," he said.

Again, Dowling said that isn't the case.

"In respect to the city being receptive, no conversations have taken place regarding the operations of a cannabis edibles cafe," she said.

LaFauci, however, claims he received direction in regards to his business from Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini and Ward 5 Coun. Robert Kirwan.

He also said Vagnini helped setup a meeting between LaFauci and Al Lekun, deputy chief of police, to discuss LaFauci's business plans.

"I talked to them about the Sudbury 420 and I talked to them about the cafe," LaFauci said.

Attempts to reach Vagnini for comment were unsuccessful, but Kirwan and Greater Sudbury Police Services did respond.

"I think he called me about his business or thinking about setting up his business, but I don't recall any details about the discussion," Kirwan said.

Kaitlyn Dunn, corporate communications officer with Greater Sudbury Police Services, confirmed that Lekun did have a conversation with an individual about After Dark Cafe & Edibles, though she did not say whether that person was LaFauci.

"That information was passed along that, what is being proposed (After Dark Cafe & Edibles), is still illegal," Dunn said. "And it would still be illegal come the legalization of marijuana."

Greater Sudbury Police then sent The Star a statement, saying, "cannabis and cannabis-related substances including THC are still illegal in Canada and our officers will continue to enforce laws related to the use, possession and distribution of cannabis until it is formally legalized later this year.

"Bill C-45, the legislation that was passed earlier this month will see the legalization of cannabis on Oct. 17. This will legalize the purchase of cannabis from a licenced retailer. The manufacturing and selling of edibles for recreational purposes will still be illegal after the legalization of cannabis."

However, while oil, seeds and marijuana will be widely available in the fall, edibles are not expected to be legal and available for sale until 2019 at the earliest.

sud.editorial@sunmedia.ca

 https://www.facebook.com/afterdarkcafes/