Weyburn mayor Marcel Roy recently returned from Ottawa, where he was attending meetings with the Canadian Association of Police Governance, along with other members of Weyburn’s Board of Police Commissioners.

While in Ottawa, Roy met with a number of Members of Parliament, as well as Senator Raynell Andreychuk. Roy explained a lot of the conversation from the meetings centred around three main topics.

The topics included the pending legalization of cannabis, as well as training for police governance, and a look at new models for policing.

“We are working in a model that is based in the 1850’s, and we have to have adaption to a new model,” Roy explained, adding this includes new tools, new idea, and new ways of dealing of things working within the justice system.

When it comes to the legalization of cannabis, Roy was again critical of the federal government, stating they haven’t provided enough detail for provinces and municipalities on the rules for enforcement and other issues. Despite what he sees as a lack of regulatory framework, though, Roy isn’t expecting the change to be as impactful as many are predicting.

“It will take a bit of time,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll see mass confusion and mass riots in the streets over all of this, but it will roll out, it will be business as usual, and we will simply continue on.”

Roy said he is planning on attending the annual convention which is scheduled for Winnipeg in August. He said part of the meetings will deal with issues concerning governance for First Nations policing.