Rules in place for pot stores
Retail development rules for recreational cannabis stores have now been set in the City of Lethbridge.
On Monday, city council approved a Land Use Bylaw amendment that regulates where retail cannabis stores will be allowed to locate when recreational cannabis becomes legal in October.
The changes make retail cannabis stores a “Permitted Use” within five types of commercial districts in the city, provided they are located at least 100 metres from the property lines of any schools, future school sites, or provincial health-care facilities.
Cannabis retailers will have to meet all provincial licensing requirements by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission in order to receive municipal development approval to operate.
Canadians will soon be able to legally possess and carry up to 30 grams of recreational cannabis when it officially becomes legal on Oct. 17.
Under the City’s updated bylaw, retail cannabis stores will be treated like other retail stores and will be a permitted use in Downtown Commercial, General Commercial, Highway Commercial, Neighbourhood Commercial and Shopping Mall Commercial districts.
AGLC regulations prohibit retail cannabis stores from being colocated within businesses that sell alcohol, tobacco products or pharmaceutical drugs.
Passage of the bylaw was temporarily disrupted when three religious protestors held up signs to council advocating for churches to be added to the setback list.
Mayor Chris Spearman initially stopped the council meeting and ordered the protesters be removed by security.
Spearman said it was a violation of council decorum for the protesters to hold up signs during discussion regarding the bylaw.
“We just want to have a healthy environment for discussion,” he said.
“We don’t want councillors to be intimidated by people. We want the community to go forward in a respectful manner.
“I was very disappointed in the decorum displayed by people who represent a religious organization in the city. I thought it was very disrespectful.”
“The chances of people buying product from a retail outlet and then going to a place of worship to use it are remote,” he added. “I think if those things actually occur, we can always amend the legislation.”
Jeff Greene, the City’s Director of Planning and Development, said while church groups and Alberta Health Services both had an opportunity to speak during the public hearing portion of the amendment’s passage, the number of suggested changes they provided were deemed too numerous to allow for a fair opportunity for cannabis retailers.
“Essentially, the impact of adding all of the suggested changes at the hearing would zone retail cannabis stores out of the city of Lethbridge,” he said.
“It would, in effect, put the city offside legally with the federal and provincial government.”
The City had a few options in terms of measuring setback distances in relation to buildings or property lines.
An amendment was passed which would see the City measure from the outside of the wall of a cannabis store to the property line of a school, reserve or hospital.
A decision on the bylaw was initially delayed by two weeks by Coun. Joe Mauro who, following the public hearing, requested more time to consider all of the information he had received.
On Monday, Mauro was not present at council in order to vote on the bylaw, leaving a question as to whether the delay was an effective use of council’s time.
Spearman said traditionally council has granted requests for time in order to allow council members to become more informed on issues.
However, the delay created a challenge due to the fact council members may not legally take in any new information after the public hearing closes, so many who reached out to council over the past two weeks had their calls ignored and emails deleted, unread.
“It’s illegal for us to read any new information that people submit,” he said. “It creates a challenge for the rest of us on council.”
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