CITY HALL PLANS TOUGHER RULES FOR HEAD SHOPS

Winnipeg city council appears to be digging in for a battle against
the city's head shops, which some councillors say are dragging down
neighbourhoods and contributing to crime.

The city's property and development committee voted Tuesday to look at
establishing a licensing process for head shops - stores that sell
smoking paraphernalia like rolling papers and bongs, and often things
like books and T-shirts - that will apply to both existing stores and
new ones wanting to start up.

"This has nothing to do with city council passing judgment on people,"
said Coun. Gord Steeves, the committee's chair. "The stores seem to be
proliferating in areas where businesses are having a tough time of
making a go of it ... They can colour a certain area in a certain way
that's not necessarily beneficial."

Coun. Russ Wyatt said he wants to regulate the stores in order to
combat what he sees as their role in drug-related crime.

"We as a city have to fight the drug trade in any way we can," he
said. "I would hope the licensing process will have teeth. If it
doesn't, I'll be disappointed."

Steeves said he hopes the new process can be in place within a few
months.

Bart Stras, co-owner of three Winnipeg head shops all called The
Joint, said the paraphernalia his stores sell is meant for smoking
tobacco, and as such they are already regulated by the provincial
government, complete with a tobacco permit and inspections.

"What the city is doing is ludicrous. They're stepping way beyond
their bounds on this," Stras said, arguing Steeves' point about
negatively affecting the neighbourhood is just a front for a value
judgement.

"Come down and interview every business owner on this strip of Marion
(where Stras's third store recently opened) and ask them what they
think of us," Stras said. "They'll say how awesome it is that we
filled a spot that was vacant for a long time and that we bring new
people to the area."