WINNIPEG -- A Manitoba First Nation is speaking out against the province for taking legal action against them over the operation of a cannabis store on their own land.

The Manitoba government wants the store Indigenous Bloom to close for operating without a Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority licence, Long Plain First Nation is part owner of the store, which is located in Portage la Prairie, Man.

Chief Dennis Meeches of Long Plain First Nation said he’s not surprised by the province’s actions, adding that the store is fully compliant under Health Canada’s regulations.

The big dog had trouble standing. He couldn’t hold his head up properly.

He was making strange whimpering noises and was suddenly incontinent.

In what is believed to be a first for Manitoba, the Meta Cannabis Supply Co. store on Long Plain First Nation’s urban reserve in Winnipeg has had its license pulled after regulators reported it was breaching provincial requirements.

It is alleged the store sanctioned and is selling unregulated cannabis from an unlicensed store on the First Nation’s Keeshkeemaquah reserve, according to a joint statement Wednesday from Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries (MBLL) and the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba (LGCA).

Manitoba RCMP say a search warrant at a home in the RM of Tache on March 11, 2021, turned up about 500 cannabis plants and more than 84 kilograms of dried cannabis. (Source: RCMP)

WINNIPEG -- Manitoba RCMP has seized about 500 cannabis plants, along with more than 80 kilograms of dried cannabis from a home in the RM of Tache.

RCMP said Steinbach RCMP officers along with the Steinbach General Investigative Section (GIS) and the East District Crime Reduction Enforcement Support Team (CREST) executed a search warrant on a home in the RM of Tache on March 11, 2021.

Mounties said the warrant was under The Cannabis Act.

Late last month, about 2,500 pages of documents landed on the desks of Manitoba government officials.

The documents contained eight affidavits and the package was courtesy of Jesse Lavoie, a 28-year-old former correctional officer, who has filed a constitutional challenge against the Manitoba government’s ban on home growing. Lavoie is represented by attorneys from Chornopyski Law.

Under the federal Cannabis Act, Canadians are legally allowed to grow up to four cannabis plants per residence. Unless they live in Quebec or Manitoba, that is, where provincial governments moved to ban home cultivation.

With provincial lakes and waterways populated by outdoor enthusiasts this winter, Manitoba RCMP are reminding the public that consuming alcohol or cannabis while on the ice is illegal.

With health restrictions still in place, and COVID-19 still affecting every aspect of life, Manitobans are using the great outdoors to gather and try to regain some semblance of normalcy. Ice fishing has seen a noticeable rise in popularity this year in southern Manitoba. The lakes and waterways are covered with ice fishing shacks, both permanent and temporary. In many places, the ice is a colourful cacophony of shacks, snowmobiles, and people.

Dozens of cannabis stores are sprouting up in Manitoba, after the province opened the retail market last June to anyone who is interested.

Manitoba's cannabis regulator has approved 23 stores under its new open market licensing system, with 33 more retailers waiting for approval.

That's a big spike from the 33 stores licensed between the legalization of recreational cannabis in October 2018 and May 2020. 

During that period, the province capped the number of licences it awarded for cannabis retail. As of June, it opened the market up.

RCMP allege the pot originated in western Canada, was destined for sale in Manitoba’s Interlake region and has links to organized crime.

A routine traffic stop in rural Manitoba has led to a hefty cannabis haul for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, reports Global News.

Manitoba RCMP pulled over a vehicle earlier this week in the rural municipality of Rosser and found more than 27 kilograms of the green stuff.

Police allege that the pot originated in western Canada, was destined for sale in Manitoba’s Interlake region and has links to organized crime.

A 33-year-old man from the Gimli municipality was arrested and charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking. RCMP say the investigation is ongoing.

The provincial government said in a Nov. 26 press release that it has introduced legislation to amend the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act to create a new licence category to ensure delivery companies aren’t taking regulated products like alcohol and cannabis to minors.

The change would shift the responsibility for safe service and delivery of these products to the company delivering them rather than the restaurant, lounge or store they are purchased from