NIAGARA FALLS — With the production of medical marijuana expected to become a $2-billion industry that could provide much needed jobs, city politicians have decided Niagara Falls wants in.

The question is, just how will the city go about creating the climate for the establishment of a medical marijuana facility in the city?

As it turns out, councillors were split on how to integrate such a facility in the city. 

It was decided that the city would tackle applications on a site-by-site basis rather than apply a single set of standards. Council voted 5-4 in favour of that approach, with Mayor Jim Diodati breaking the deadlock after council split down the middle, with some preferring that a standard setback be included.

OTTAWA - As Justin Trudeau prepares to tackle the politics of legalizing pot as part of his Liberal government's legislative agenda, industry experts say he will have access to a world-class marijuana framework set up under the Conservative government.

Chuck Rifici, co-founder of Canada's first publicly traded marijuana manufacturer, says a renowned production and distribution system has already been established under the medicinal umbrella.

Rifici — also a volunteer chief financial officer for the Liberal party's national board of directors — credits Stephen Harper for the country's expansive marijuana infrastructure.

Despite incoming Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's vow to legalize recreational marijuana "right away," travelers thinking of heading north to get high are in for a buzz kill.

While Trudeau's plans to legalize pot have sparked a gold-rush mentality among pot proponents and enthusiasts, regulations and tax rules are likely years away, experts say. Even then, it's not clear whether legality will lead to a significant marijuana tourism industry, given the onward march of legalization efforts in the U.S.

Margaret Trudeau once said that quitting marijuana helped improve her mental health, but she stands behind her prime minister-designate son’s plan to legalize pot, which she says is a “whole different issue.”

In an interview with CTV Canada AM co-host Marci Ien, Justin Trudeau’s mother seemed taken aback when asked about her previous comments on marijuana.

At a mental health conference in 2007, Trudeau said that her battle with mental illness involved completely giving up marijuana, which she started smoking at a young age.  

Friendlier laws on medical marijuana use in Canada are already drawing American investment north of the border, and the trend is likely to further ignite if the federal Liberals make good on their promise to allow recreational use of the drug.

Poseidon Asset Management, a San Francisco-based hedge fund focused squarely on the cannabis space, says it is considering boosting its Canadian holdings following Justin Trudeau’s election win.

“We have one core holding up there currently but we would love to expand that,” says Morgan Paxhia, the hedge fund’s founding partner and chief investor.

As Canada begins the long conversation of how to regulate legal marijuana for adult use in Canada, various US states like Colorado or Washington often get mentioned as templates to follow or learn from. One not mentioned quite as often is Oregon, who also recently regulated legal marijuana for adult recreational use after over a decade of regulating legal marijuana for medical purposes.

Vancouver may soon be seeing fewer marijuana dispensaries, but not all owners are ready to accept their rejection notices.

The city recently issued new zoning and business licensing regulations for marijuana dispensaries. Earlier this year, 176 businesses applied for licences. Of those, 11 marijuana shops were approved to continue on to the second phase of the application process.

The large number of businesses that did not meet the new regulations has some owners planning to appeal the rejection of their applications.

As the owner of two medical marijuana dispensaries in the city, he is in a unique situation following the city’s review of his shops.