Winnipeg mayor questions premier's marijuana math, says province will make 'a lot of money' from cannabis

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman is questioningPremier Brian Pallister's claim Manitoba won't make any money off cannabis.

On Monday, Pallistertold the the Association of Manitoba Municipalities convention the province won't share cannabis excise revenue with municipalities, including the City of Winnipeg.

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He then claimed cannabis sales won't have any positive impact on the provincial bottom line.

"There's no profit in cannabis and there's no proof there's going to be profit for some time, so don't ask for a share of profits when there aren't profits,"Pallistersaid in a hallway scrum Monday atRBCConvention Centre.

Bowman tweeted his annoyance with this claim on Tuesday and followedup that sentiment Wednesday with a more detailed explanation.

"You take a look at the experience of alcohol, governments collect a lot of money on alcohol. You take a look at tobacco, governments collect a lot of money. Cannabis will be the same," Bowman said at city hall afteran executive policy committee meeting.

"I don't know where the numbers will be, ultimately. Canadianswill have to see," he said. "They're building schools with cannabis revenues, from what I understand,in Denver."

The city estimates legal cannabis will result in $1.6 million worth of new annual costs. Manitoba municipalities want the provincial government to share cannabis excise tax revenues, as some other provinces do.

The province is also planning to apply a six per cent levy on cannabis retail sales, starting in January.