The President of the Union of BC Municipalities is keeping his cards close to his chest but he is hinting at the possibility of a big cannabis related announcement in next week’s provincial budget.

Arjun Singh, also a Kamloops Councillor, says there is a chance a deal determining how much much legal cannabis tax revenues flow to local governments could be announced in the budget.

“What I can say is the committee is working hard on that, very collaboratively. We are all looking forward to what is going to be announced, hopefully, in the budget. We don’t know exactly what is going to be there but I think we are all monitoring very carefully in communities across the province the share of the excise tax for local governments.”

Singh says local governments have maintained they do not want to pass off costs for setting up the infrastructure for legal cannabis on to local taxpayers.

The federal government agreed to give the provinces 75% of legal cannabis tax revenues with the province and UBCM negotiating a further split with local governments.