The Mayor of Kamloops is hoping to see a cannabis revenue sharing deal between the province and municipalities in place by December.

Ken Christian says the city has spent thousands of dollars so far, and those costs are being pushed on the backs of the taxpayers.

He says with four cannabis stores currently operating in Kamloops, there is revenue being generated here.

“I think that even though the revenue stream may not be as high as was originally forecast, there still is need to share that revenue with the local governments that are burdening most of the work here,” Christian told NL.

As part of the city’s meetings at the UBCM Convention last week, Christian says the issue was once again raised with Finance Minister Carole James.

“And as I said to Ms. James, last week, we might not get it right the first time, but that should not be a reason why we don’t make an attempt and so I was optimistic that she’s working with UBCM.”

Cannabis was legalized in Canada on October 17, 2018, and after months of waiting, B.C. municipalities were optimistic that a deal would have been in place ahead of this year’s UBCM convention.