The recent news that there won’t be a cannabis store in either Peterborough or Lindsay — at least not in the initial round of retail stores opening by April 2019 — has disappointed some residents of the Kawarthas.

It means the only option for locals who wish to purchase legal cannabis will be to order online through the Ontario Cannabis Store or to drive to Oshawa, where a cannabis store named “Fabulous Leaf” is proposed for the busy plaza at 575 Laval Drive near the Stevenson Road exit on Highway 401.

However, if you’re willing to skirt the edges of legality (or not, depending on who you talk to), there’s another option: take a trip to the popular “Green Mile” in Alderville First Nation beside Rice Lake in Northumberland County.

So named because of the dozen or so cannabis dispensaries that line a short stretch of Highway 45 just south of Roseneath, the Green Mile represents a thriving indigenous cannabis industry. It’s no secret to the many thousands of people who already visit the dispensaries, the most well-known being Medicine Wheel Natural Healing and Healing House Medicinals, but word is spreading quickly to the broader population.

In fact, Alderville First Nation has already become the cannabis tourism destination in the Kawarthas for locals and visitors alike, especially following the legalization of cannabis in Canada last October and the void left by both federal and provincial legislation.

For example, edibles are still illegal under federal legislation (the federal government expects to deal with them by October 2019). And the Ontario government’s restriction on the number of legal retail stores (only 25 in 2019 with, as noted, no retail stores in the Kawarthas) means many people will have to drive some distance if they want to speak with an actual person about their cannabis needs. There’s also an ongoing concern about potential shortages of product (and the limited variety) available from the Ontario Cannabis Store.

VIDEO: Welcome to Medicine Wheel Natural Healing

In Alderville First Nation, you can purchase edibles. You can speak to helpful and knowledgeable “budtenders” who will recommend the best product for your needs. It’s a 45-minute scenic drive from Peterborough, the largest population centre in the Kawarthas. And there’s a lot of variety of product, including flower options, concentrates, edibles, and more.

Rob Stevenson, owner of Medicine Wheel Natural Healing, is at the centre of Alderville First Nation’s pot industry. He first opened his store as a medical cannabis dispensary more than a year before weed was legalized, and since then has seen his business boom. In October 2018, he already had 15,000 registered clients and was employing 30 full-time employees, 20 of whom are indigenous.

Stevenson, an Anishinaabe man of the Bear Clan and a member of Alderville First Nation, says he has as many as 250 new clients every day.

The claim is not far-fetched. kawarthaNOW visited Medicine Wheel on the Saturday of the Family Day Weekend. The parking lot was full, with cars pulling in and out every few minutes. The store was crowded with adults of all ages as long lines of people waited to withdraw cash from the two ATMs inside the store (the Medicine Wheel only accepts cash).

A little less crowded but still busy was the smaller Healing House Medicinals, located right across the highway from Medicine Wheel. It’s the most distinctive cannabis store in Alderville First Nation, consisting of two shipping containers that have been joined together and painted with graffiti.

Stevenson was inspired to launch his cannabis business after attending a meeting in the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory on the Bay of Quinte near Belleville. The Tyendinaga Mohwak Council has held a series of meetings to discuss cannabis operations in the territory, which has at least 50 dispensaries.

“I got inspired at that meeting,” Stevenson tells Bruce Barcott, deputy editor of online cannabis resource Leafly. “We heard stories about how cannabis was helping people. We heard about how it could help communities economically, through direct employment and the spinoff companies around the industry.”

The Tyendinaga Mohawk Council decided to adopt interim regulations to govern recreational cannabis, and expects to ratify final regulations in April 2019.

Alderville First Nation is taking a similar approach but without the direct involvement of band council, which has refused to take a role in regulating the local cannabis industry — leaving it up to individual band members to exercise their sovereign rights.

In the absence of band council direction, the cannabis dispensaries and growers of Alderville First Nation have come together to form the Mississaugas of Rice Lake Cannabis Association (ricelakecannabis.org), which is working on implementing a process of self-regulation of the cannabis industry on the territory of the Alderville First Nation.

“We needed some kind of framework that is responsive to the people in our community and which can protect the industry and the interests of our people,” says Stevenson, a spokesperson for the association.

This includes transparency in operations, ensuring product is not sold to minors, and ensuring product is tested and certified. For example, Medicine Wheel Natural Healing has created the Red Feather certification protocol, a system of cannabis testing and certification adopted by the three cannabis dispensaries in Alderville with testing labs (Medicine Wheel, Healing House, and the Totem Pole).

The certification is intended to ensure a cannabis product was made by indigenous people, without the use of pesticides and herbicides, and that it has undergone a quality-control testing process.

VIDEO: David Baker on growing Cannabis in Alderville

As part of its mandate, the association has proposed a community contribution fund “to ensure that the cannabis industry of the Alderville First Nation contributes to the needs of the people.”

On Saturday, March 9th, the association will be hosting a day-long meeting for members of Alderville First Nation, bringing together Anishinabek cannabis growers and dispensary owners to discuss, improve, and possibly adopt a common framework of self-regulation and community governance.

The elephant in the room remains the question of the legality of cannabis dispensaries on indigenous territory. On the face of it, the dispensaries appear to be contravening both federal and provincial law.

However, from the perspective of the Mississaugas of Rice Lake Cannabis Association, it’s not a question: Alderville First Nation is sovereign territory and federal and provincial cannabis laws do not apply.

The association points to several articles of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that define self-regulation of indigenous economies and medicines, including Article 24, which states in part “Indigenous peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals.”

“We’re adding cannabis to our repertoire of indigenous medicine,” Stevenson tells Leafly.

The Mississaugas of Rice Lake Cannabis Association has further clarified its position on the legality of cannabis with the following statement:

1. No plant, animal or person is “illegal” under the natural laws governing Indigenous peoples. The concept of one human prohibiting another from accessing a part of creation is one that is foreign to us.
2. We are a free and sovereign people and we are allies to, and not subjects of, the British Crown and its Canadian government.
3. We have a responsibility to look after our land and our people and our generations yet to come.
4. We have an inherent individual and collective right as free and sovereign Indigenous people to consume, cultivate, process, utilize, and trade or exchange any part of creation in our territory for our own sustenance and benefit, as long as we do it in a way that benefits our seven generations and our mother Turtle Island.
5. Because we are a free and sovereign people, we do not pay or collect tax to or for the Canadian government, the British crown, or anyone else.
6. As a free and sovereign people we have the right to self-regulate our own economies and our own communities.
7. The way our system of governance works is that our leaders serve our people, and express the common consensus of the people.
8. Our individual and collective rights are enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and are recognized and affirmed in the Canadian constitution.
9. For all these reasons, we the Mississauga of Rice Lake, declare that cannabis is not “illegal“ in our territory. As has long been the case, cannabis is grown, processed, and sold according to the customs and traditions of our people.
10. The recently established medicinal cannabis dispensaries in our territory are regulated through quarterly gatherings of Alderville First Nation members belonging to the Mississauga of Rice Lake Cannabis Association.

For his part, Stevenson says he has met with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), with which the Alderville First Nation has an agreement to provide policing services.

“I went to the OPP and gave them a similar presentation to the one I gave to chief and council, showing them why I’m doing this and how I’m doing this,” Stevenson tells Leafly.

“It was received very well. I met with the police quite a few times. The police would stop in a few times just to see how things were going. I remember the first couple times the police came in, and it would clear the store, clear the parking lot. After a while, though, people realized they were just there to talk and observe.

“Those were helpful sessions. They let the police see firsthand what we were doing. They saw that we’ve got a huge range of people coming in from different backgrounds, not just the typical stoner persona. We’ve got a lot of seniors, women, people of all ages” (except minors, of course).

It remains to be seen how the cannabis industry of Alderville First Nation will change, once the non-indigenous industry in Ontario grows and matures. But for now, it’s a booming business and one that the Ontario government might be able to learn something from.

For more information on Medicine Wheel Natural Healing, visit medicinewheelnaturalhealing.com. For more information on Healing House Medicinals, visit healinghousemedicinals.com.

Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef is now also Minister of International Development, in addition to her current portfolio as Minister for Women and Gender Equality.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement earlier today (March 1) as part of a Cabinet shuffle to fill the vacancy created when Jody Wilson-Raybould resigned as Minister of Veterans Affairs on February 12th.

Monsef takes over the International Development portfolio from Marie-Claude Bibeau, who is now Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. Former Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay is now Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence.

“I’m excited to take on these new responsibilities, especially because they so meaningfully complement the work I’ve been doing as Minister for Women and Gender Equality,” Monsef writes on her Facebook page. “I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Minister Bibeau on issues touching women’s equality in Canada and abroad, and I am also deeply proud to see her achieving another gender equality first, as she becomes the first woman to serve as Minister of Agriculture and Agri-foods.

“The advancement of women’s equality continues to be a whole-of-government priority. When women thrive, whether here in Canada or abroad, we improve prosperity, peace and security for everyone. Between our Feminist International Assistance Policy, the strides we’ve made on equal pay for work of equal value, supporting women’s entrepreneurship, and action to combat gender-based violence, I look forward to building on this momentum and driving this agenda forward with all our energy.”

Trudeau tweeted that Monsef “has done an excellent job as Minister for Women and Gender Equality. Now she’ll also take on the role of Minister for International Development, where she’ll keep building on our work to empower women & girls around the world.”

.@MaryamMonsef has done an excellent job as Minister for Women and Gender Equality. Now she'll also take on the role of Minister for International Development, where she’ll keep building on our work to empower women & girls around the world. https://t.co/4E2FhsyxXO pic.twitter.com/senvMytrL8

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) March 1, 2019

Monsef was first appointed to Cabinet was as Minister of Democratic Institutions in November 2015, shortly after the Trudeau government was elected.

In January 2017, she became the Minister of Status of Women. In December 2018, she became the Minister for Women and Gender Equality following the passage of the Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2, which included legislation to create the Department for Women and Gender Equality.

Friday’s Cabinet shuffle comes only two days after Wilson-Raybould told a parliamentary committee that she believes she was removed as Minister of Justice and Attorney General because she did not respond to political pressure to grant a deferred prosecution agreement to Quebec-based engineering and infrastructure company SNC-Lavalin on charges of bribery and corruption.

Trudeau appointed Wilson-Raybould as Minister of Justice and Attorney General in November 2015. The first Indigenous person and third woman to hold the office, she served in the position until a Cabinet shuffle on January 14, 2019 after Scott Brison, the former president of the Treasury Board, retired from federal politics.

During the Cabinet shuffle, Wilson-Raybould was appointed Minister of Veterans Affairs. At that time, she issued a public statement to respond to inquiries about why she was no longer the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

“It has always been my view that the Attorney General of Canada must be non-partisan, more transparent in the principles that are the basis of decisions, and, in this respect, always willing to speak truth to power,” the statement read in part. “This is how I served throughout my tenure in that role.”

Three summer festivals in the Kawarthas are among the top 100 festivals in Ontario, as selected by the provincial organization Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO).

The Havelock Country Jamboree, the Bancroft Rockhound Gemboree, and the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival (now known as the Buckhorn Festival of the Arts) received the designation, which recognizes festivals and events that excel within the industry in Ontario.

This is the fifth year in the row that the Havelock Country Jamboree — Canada’s largest live outdoor country music and camping festival — has received the designation. The concert series was also named a “Festival & Event of Distinction” in 2019, one of 20 of the most well-known and respected celebrations in the province that draw both a domestic and international audience.

VIDEO: 30th Anniversary Havelock Country Jamboree in 2019

FEO was established in 1987 as an association devoted to the growth and stability of the festival and event industry in Ontario. Submissions from FEO members were received for consideration in the fall of 2018 and were judged by an independent panel of judges.

The 2019 Top 100 Awards were given out on Thursday, February 28th during FEO’s Annual Conference “ENGAGE”, which was held from February 26th to 28th in London, Ontario.

In 2019, the Bancroft Rockhound Gemboree (rockhoundgemboree.ca) takes place from August 1st to 4th, the Havelock Country Jamboree (havelockjamboree.com) takes place from August 15th to 18th, and the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival (www.buckhornfineart.com) takes place on August 17th and 18th.

For more information about FEO, visit www.festivalsandeventsontario.ca.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) reports that 20 huskies have been rescued from a property located on Dyno Road in Highlands East, about halfway between Apsley and Bancroft.

Last Saturday (February 23), Bancroft OPP received a complaint from the property owner that people had been trespassing on his property. When officers from Bancroft OPP arrived at the property, they spoke with officers from the Haliburton Highlands OPP, who had been on the property the day before to serve a court process on an unrelated matter.

At the time, the Haliburton officers had noticed multiple dogs in poor condition. One of the officers took photographs of the condition of the dogs. Officers then returned to the property the following day, when they found 20 huskies tied up to dog houses.

Officers spoke with the owner, who was getting assistance from the Siberian Husky Assistance & Rescue Program (SHARP), a non-profit volunteer-run organization located in Peterborough.

The Haliburton Echo reports that members of SHARP have since removed the dogs and placed them in foster locations. According to SHARP, the dogs are doing well and are being inspected by a veterinarian.

Police also contacted the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA). The OSPCA is assisting police in the investigation, which is ongoing. No charges have yet been laid.

According to a media release from the Bancroft OPP, the dogs will be put up for adoption.

For more information about SHARP and to make a donation, visit sharprescue.ca.

Below is a public Facebook post providing background information on this story.