Councillors in Gibsons got back to work this week after the August break, and one of the first things on their to-do list was to start preparing for the legalization of non-medical cannabis.
At the Sept. 4 committee of the whole meeting, councillors voted to accept a staff recommendation that cannabis retail be prohibited in all zones, and that people interested in running dispensaries be required to get a temporary use permit (TUP) or apply for a spot zoning unique to their location.
Gibsons currently has three companies selling cannabis products with valid business licences to operate in retail areas: S&M Medicinal Sweet Shoppe, Healing Hut, and the Rainforest Compassion Club.
In a report for the committee, planner Lesley-Ann Staats said since a 2016 council resolution to put new applications on hold, five more companies have come forward.
The report said without adding specifics around cannabis retailing to existing zoning bylaws, anyone with a provincial licence to sell cannabis products could set up shop anywhere zoned for retail uses.
Staats also told the committee TUPs would allow council to impose conditions and, if a retailer isn’t meeting expectations or does not end up being a good fit for a particular neighbourhood, the permit does not have to be renewed. The TUP process also allows for public input.
Coun. Stafford Lumley said he supported the recommendation because it would allow the Town to make adjustments to react to any last-minute changes to the federal or provincial regulations. He said the pending legalization of non-medical cannabis also gives the Town an opportunity to take a look at its smoking bylaw and step up enforcement.
Coun. Charlene SanJenko had a similar opinion. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable, until I knew the implications to the community, doing anything but temporary use permits.”
The committee voted unanimously to have planning staff draft bylaw amendments that would prohibit cannabis retail in all zones, and regulate where production would be allowed.
The owners of two of the cannabis suppliers in Gibsons were in the gallery for the committee meeting, and spoke afterwards in support of the TUP option. Michelle Sikora of S&M Medicinal Sweet Shoppe encouraged council to consider establishing permanent zoning to allow cannabis retail is specific areas in the future.
The draft bylaw amendments will come up for first and second readings later this month, with a public hearing expected in early October and, if it passes those steps, adoption on Oct. 16, just a day before the new cannabis laws take effect.
Councillors in Sechelt were scheduled to vote on granting TUPs to four cannabis retailers in the district at their Sept. 5 meeting.
