Lake Country could be the first municipality in the Okanagan to have a recreational pot shop, according to the founder of a medical facility that’s already in operation in the district.
“We’re potentially going to be the first licence in the Okanagan, which is exciting,” said Dave Martyn, founder of Compass Cannabis Clinic.
“We’re shooting for Christmas time, we’d like to be open ahead of Christmas… if we clear the variance on the (Dec. 4), there’s likely another two-week window to get approved by the province and other bodies but we’re literally going through (this) with another location in Dawson, B.C. ,” said Martyn. “(The) timelines work out nicely as we had municipal approval there last week and we get final approval for that site tomorrow.
“Turnaround from the province is going fairly (quickly.) It seems like B.C., compared to other provinces, is pretty well organized.”
RELATED: B.C. pot shop handed first recreational licence
Lake Country staff have recommended approval of a bylaw variance, which would reduce the buffer requirement between a daycare and Compass Cannabis Clinic from 400 to 150 metres, meaning the shop would be one step closer to being a recreational facility if passed by council Tuesday night.
In the current bylaw, the buffer prevents Compass Cannabis Clinic from operating as a recreational facility.
With the district’s new zoning amendments, recreational cannabis can be sold in the town centre and at Turtle Bay Crossing. There is also no buffer between shops, so they can be located side by side.
So far, this is the only application for a recreational cannabis shop in the district, said planner Paul Dupuis. But the district has had a number of inquiries.
If the variance is approved, a referral will be take to council for consideration at its Dec. 18 regular meeting, he said, but as to when the shop would be able to sell recreational pot is anyone’s guess.
The variance and referral will have to be approved by council and the province will also have to give its permission before a business licence is granted. That can be granted within a week, said Dupuis.
Lake Country also does not have application deadlines for pot shops.
“It’s unknown to the province how long this will take,” he said, as the provincial test involves criminal background checks and financial assessments.
The cost of a business licence for recreational shops and grow facilities are free to companies for the first calendar year before moving to$500 per year for a license after that.
In Kelowna, the city doesn’t except its first facility to be in operation until the spring of 2019. West Kelowna did not give a timeframe of when its first facility would be open but has limited the number of shops to four. Peachland does not currently allow recreational shops in the district.
Summerland may contest Lake Country’s bid to have the first recreational pot shop open in the Okanagan, as the deadline for applications there is Dec. 10. Vernon’s earliest deadline for processing applications is in January, while Pentiction is still in the process of developing its regulatory framework.
READ MORE: Legal pot shops in the South Okanagan still months in the future
If approved, Compass Cannabis, in partnership with Starbuds, will undergo a redesign at its facility in the Turtle Bay Crossing complex.
@carliberry_carli.berry@kelownacapnews.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
