By Jack Wilson
The City of Sherbrooke missed its June 16 deadline to respond to The Record’s request for information on the Accès Cannabis program. On May 18, The Record requested details on the resources the Sherbrooke and Memphremagog police services put into the program, which cracks down on illegal cannabis operations.
The Record submitted its request after Sherbrooke police spokesperson Martin Carrier declined to share the cost of an operation that saw 12 cannabis plants seized and resulted in the arrest of the 30-year-old man alleged to be growing the plants. “We don’t want to give people the idea that the cost is high,” Carrier said at the time. The spokesperson said about 10 officers were involved in the operation, although he wouldn’t divulge how many officers comprise the Accès Cannabis taskforce. Carrier himself suggested The Record submit an access to information request.
Access to information guidelines require a response within 20 calendar days of a request’s submission but allow an additional 10 days should the respondent require more time. In its initial response to The Record’s request, the City of Sherbrooke listed its preliminary and final deadlines as June 7 and June 16. Both deadlines came and went without communication to The Record. On June 20, a staff member confirmed that the city was behind schedule, but that it intends to respond as soon as possible.
