By Jack Wilson
The Sherbrooke and Memphremagog joint police taskforce targeting illicit cannabis operations has an annual budget of $480,000, according to a response to The Record’s access to information request. The Sherbrooke police department contributes $320,000 of that amount, while the Memphremagog department contributes $160,000. According to the document, Sherbrooke police so far expect to be at least $10,000 over budget for 2023.
The Accès Cannabis unit was launched in 2018, the same year recreational cannabis use became legal nationwide. The unit aims to target criminal organizations, reduce cannabis accessibility to youth and protect government revenue flowing from the legal cannabis market.
On May 18, The Record submitted an access to information request to the City of Sherbrooke after Sherbrooke police spokesperson Martin Carrier declined to divulge the cost of an operation that saw 12 cannabis plants seized and resulted in the arrest of a 30-year-old man alleged to be growing the plants. The document listed the operation’s cost at $1,332.08, calculated based on the cost of 3 1/2 hours of seven officers’ time.
