A fifth prospective cannabis retailer is seeking to set up shop in downtown Salmon Arm, despite a city policy that limits the number of pot stores in the core to four.
An application has been referred to the city by the province’s Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) for a cannabis retail store in the former Windmill Meats building at 470 Lakeshore Drive NW. The applicant is listed as Quantum 1 Cannabis Corp.
A city staff memo for Tuesday’s development and planning meeting noted this is the ninth application for a retail cannabis store referred to Salmon Arm council. It is also the sixth store proposed for the downtown core commercial area identified in the city’s Cannabis Retail Stores policy.
Staff noted because of the policy, which supports a maximum of four stores, an application submitted by Hive Cannabis was withdrawn. Quantum, however, is proceeding with its application, having paid the city’s $1,000 application fee.
Quantum representative Kwan Lee told the planning committee when the application was submitted to the province late last year, the company wasn’t aware the city had already accepted four applications for the downtown core.
“The LCRB cannot issue a cannabis retail store licence unless the LCRB receives a positive recommendation from the local government,” said the staff memo.
Lee said the decision to proceed with Quantum’s application was based on consideration that one, or both, of the two downtown applicants currently awaiting approval from the province might be denied.
Coun. Sylvia Lindgren recommended council defer the application until the province has made a decision on the two yet-to-be approved stores and the committee supported supported the move.
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To date, only two of the four cannabis retail stores supported by city council have received provincial approval—the Greenery at 190 Trans-Canada Highway and Downtown Cannabis (approved in principal) at 111 Lakeshore Drive NE. Awaiting provincial approval are Eden at 191 Shuswap Street NW and Salmon Arm Cannabis at 81 Shuswap Street NW.
Outside of the downtown core, Green Canoe Cannabis in Canoe was the first Salmon Arm cannabis dispensary to receive provincial approval. The B.C. government cannabis store, set to go in a yet-to-be built building at the SmartCentres site, has also received approval by council.
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