By Emily Keller

CITY COUNCIL

City considering cannabis bylaw changes

Oct 29, 2019 | 5:12 PM

The Infrastructure and Economic Development Committee has voted to move forward with changes to cannabis-related bylaws.

The committee directed city administration to prepare changes to the land-use bylaws and to lower business license fees.

The city chose not to move forward with removing the limit of one license per separate business, something that Craig Ruether, C.E.O of URBN Leaf Cannabis Company, says he is pleased with.

“I think it’s good. The recommendations that they had, we’re in favour of pretty much all of them. I think the one business license per business entity does kind of protect local entrepreneurs, so we’re in favour of that at this time.”

Councillor Chris Thiessen says that the cap on business licenses was introduced by the city last year.

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“Part of the reason that we did that is that it’s been a slow process with the province with getting cannabis and licenses out to our businesses, and originally we did this to ensure that no one entity could monopolize the market on cannabis, and so this sort of extends it based off of all those delays.”

He adds that they may choose to come back to that decision in a year’s time.

The land use bylaw change would make it so development permits for retail cannabis stores would be decided based on land use compatibility, and then could not be refused without reason.

The business license fees for production and distribution of cannabis are currently $500, and for retail it is $2500. The reduction would make both $105.

The RCMP has noted that since legalization and stores have opened, there have been no growth of significant issues, and that calls related to trafficking and possession have decreased and calls related to drugs and driving have stayed around the same.

The city says these changes are in response to that.

Administration may present the amendments they have made at the next council meeting, or the amendments may be pushed to council instead.