Barely illegal: Canada’s vice laws have undergone radical change in the last few years — but it hasn’t necessarily affected how Canadians, and the police, behave. In a two-part package, National Post looks at enforcement (or the lack thereof) around marijuana and prostitution and what it means for the future. 

VANCOUVER — If several thousand people gathered in Downtown Vancouver for a mass light-up of cigarettes, it would be assailed by condemnations from the city’s chief medical health officer. If they came to chug moonshine, the gathering would be stopped in its tracks by riot police.

VICTORIA – Victoria has become the latest British Columbia city to draft new bylaws for medical marijuana dispensaries, as Vancouver considers a plan to regulate illegal pot shops.

City council in the province’s capital voted Thursday to ask staff to draft business licensing and zoning regulations, which could impose fees and new rules on security, record keeping and selling to minors.

Mayor Lisa Helps said she thought it was a “good sign” when Victoria Police Insp. Scott McGregor told council at the meeting that the department doesn’t object to regulation.

An Ontario father is calling for change to Canada’s medical marijuana laws.

Alex Repetski says he is pushing ahead with a medical treatment for his daughter that is illegal. Repetski has a legal exemption to give his three-year-old daughter marijuana for her epilepsy. But in order to give it to her, he must convert the weed to oil. Government regulations say the girl has to smoke the drug and it cannot be converted to something she can ingest, such as oil.

Repetski could face charges of possession and trafficking. He’s calling for re-examination of the regulations, which he calls ridiculous.

Quebec's Human Rights Tribunal has ruled the Public Security Ministry discriminated against a man who was facing a criminal charge, and has awarded him $13,000 for lost wages and other damages.

In 2009, the man was forbidden from working at a construction site at the Percé prison in the Gaspésie region because he was deemed a security risk.

The prison, which is an institution for people who have committed sexual crimes, was closed for renovations at the time.

A pair of lobbyists with Toronto-based government relations firm Pathway Group have departed the company suddenly amid concerns over their involvement with CEN Biotech, a medical marijuana company that is under investigation by the Ontario Securities Commission.

Kelly Mitchell and Justin Ferguson, who worked as lobbyists in federal and provincial government circles, and previously worked in government, are no longer with the company, Pathway Group told its staff on Thursday. The firm also issued a public statement on the matter.

Pathway Group today confirmed the departure of two of its team members, Mr. Kelly Mitchell and Mr. Justin Ferguson,” the company said. “We cannot comment further on personnel matters.”

Yesterday (May 7), Victoria city council received a report from staff that recommended a crackdown on the provincial capital’s growing number of medicinal marijuana dispensaries.

In a vote of seven to one, councillors opted to reject that suggestion. Instead, they requested staff draft new business and zoning bylaws that would regulate the over-the-counter sales of marijuana.

Health Minister Rona Ambrose upset many cannabis activists in late April with her criticism of the City of Vancouver’s plan to license marijuana dispensaries.

VICTORIA, May 7, 2015 /CNW/ - T-Bird Pharma Inc. (TSXV:TPI) ("T-Bird" or the "Company"), a pharmaceutical company focused on developing premium quality medical marijuana products and a licensed producer ("LP") under the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (Canada) ("MMPR"), is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary Thunderbird Biomedical Inc. has received a notice from Health Canada dated May 6, 2015 confirming the renewal of its production license, and including the expansion of its license to include full authorization to commence medical marijuana sales.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 6, 2015: Wildflower Marijuana Inc. (CSE: SUN) (FWB:RSP) (the “Company”) has signed a Letter of Intent to license the most advanced technology for the delivery of oil based derivatives in the disposable vaporizer industry. The purpose of the Licensing Agreement is to pair the highest grade cannabis extract with the most advanced technology in disposable vaporizing to meet the growing demand of health conscious cannabis consumers. Wildflower will have exclusive rights to this technology in Washington State giving the Company a clear advantage over other similar products. Cannabis vaporizing continues to gain momentum with consumers and currently demand in Washington State exceeds supply.

If you run a small-to-medium-sized enterprise (SME) that’s experiencing growth and struggling to find the capital to fill customers’ orders, you’re not alone. Thousands of business owners find themselves in the same predicament. Banks often have a cursory, one-size-fit-all process for dealing with SMEs because of your risk profile.

According to a 2014 Harvard Business School study, 40% of businesses applying for credit get rejected. Of these companies who fail to win approval, approximately one-third will return to banks with a fresh perspective in presenting their proposal. But what about the businesses that see their bank applications declined and can’t try again?