May 3, 2024
A local Indigenous-owned pot shop in Georgina is fighting a legal battle over the sale of cannabis off-reserve without a licence, invoking Indigenous rights as defence.
Situated on 120 High St. in Sutton, 8th Fire Co opened its doors in February, only to encounter a York police raid on March 7. Store owner Jared Big Canoe says he intends to “vigorously defend” his case during the upcoming court session on May 8 in Newmarket.
“I have the legal right to sell cannabis plant medicine in my traditional territory,” Big Canoe, a well-travelled Chippewa from Georgina Island First Nation, told YorkRegion.com. “I’m not doing anything illegal. I’m not a criminal.”