With the Canadian government planning to legalize marijuana, the Regional District of Nanaimo has adopted a non-medicinal marijuana retail licence application policy.
According to an RDN staff report, the province will administer licensing, but municipal governments will be allowed to determine whether they wish to see non-medicinal marijuana retail outlets. The policy, which passed unanimously, applies to RDN electoral areas only.
The RDN board will consider a store’s proposed location, how close it is to other such stores and sensitive-use areas such as playgrounds, schools, daycares and community centres. There should be 300 metres between the applicant’s property and the sensitive-use areas, the policy reads.
Information about the store’s size, business hours and public feedback will also be considered.
The RDN will hold public hearings with the relevant electoral area director present, who will hear from both the applicant and those who will be affected should the applicant receive a licence from the province. A separate meeting may be held prior to the hearing for additional public consultation, but that would be at the discretion of the RDN.
Geoff Garbutt, RDN general manager of strategic and community development, said the policy outlines how the board wishes to move forward on community consultation around licensing retail cannabis.
“It’s a provincial licence and it requires input from local government and they advise that if a local government is not in favour of a particular licence, that they should indicate that…” he said. “If a local government doesn’t recommend approval of a licence application, they will not issue the licence.”
The City of Nanaimo is working separately on regulations around cannabis production, distribution and production, guided by a cannabis task force.
The federal legislation passed third reading at the Senate on June 7, with proposed amendments.
The federal government has informed provinces and territories they need eight to 12 weeks between when the bill receives Royal Assent and when the new laws come into force to effect an orderly transition to the new framework, the Canadian government said in an e-mail. This transition time is important for all levels of government, industry, law enforcement and other stakeholders to prepare for implementation of the new system, it said.
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