Area A residents are invited to have their say about cannabis rules, tonight (Nov. 13) in a public hearing.
The meeting takes place at 5 p.m. in the regional district board room on Rossland Avenue.
The regional district is proposing to ban the retail sale non-medical marijuana in Area A and, through policy, prohibit industrial-style cannabis production in the ALR (Agriculture Land Reserve).
A second policy is being proposed, however, that outlines criteria the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) would consider should an applicant come forward and ask for a zoning amendment to permit cannabis retail sales.
Area A Director Ali Grieve has been delegated to preside over the hearing, and all those in attendance will be given the opportunity to speak. Alternatively, written submissions can be forwarded to the Trail office by 2 p.m. today or be presented at the hearing.
All verbal and written responses will become part of public record.
With any bylaw amendment in B.C., a public hearing must be held for electors.
In this case, Area A is proposing to add the two cannabis-related policies to the Official Community Plan (OCP) amendment bylaw, and modify its zoning bylaw to prohibit cannabis sales and align with the OCP changes.
Area B, which encompasses the unincorporated communities of Genelle, Rivervale, Oasis, and Casino, has already adopted bylaws to prohibit retail pot sales and commercial cultivation in the ALR. Area C has adopted a bylaw to prohibit only the latter, commercial cultivation in cement-based structures.
Based on input at a public hearing held at Big White, the proposal to prohibit pot sales was defeated.
The RDKB board recently reviewed and voted on proposed changes to land-use bylaws to prohibit commercial cultivation in cement-based buildings in the ALR and to prohibit (or allow) retail sale of non-medical cannabis in electoral areas.
The restrictions are partly based on the rationale that non-medical cannabis can be purchased online, and British Columbians 19 years or older can buy it in privately run retail stores where local government permits, or at government-operated retail stores.
Furthermore, any licence requires input and a positive recommendation from local government whether it’s within a municipality or electoral area of the regional district.
