W. Kelowna may ban pot shops – for now

Pot shops will be banned everywhere in West Kelowna for the foreseeable future.

City council’s intention is to apply a blanket regulation against the sale of marijuana, although it’s expected the restriction will ease over time.

“It’s prohibition for now, and that may change in the future,” Mayor Doug Findlater said this week.

Council has given Àrst reading to an overhaul of existing bylaws intended to make it plain that pot sales are not permitted anywhere in the municipality of 32,000 people. A public hearing on the proposal will be held May 22.

Even with marijuana about to become legal later this year, the city should start with a bylaw that stipulates pot shops will not be permitted in West Kelowna, planning manager Nancy Henderson told staff.

“The recommendations and legal advice we’re getting is start with a clean slate and go slow,” Henderson said. “Once you have a clearer picture of the landscape, you go slowly to open up for legal dispensaries.”

The provincial government has said B.C. municipalities will be able to able to say whether or not they want pot shops in their communities. Municipalities may also enforce restrictions governing such things as minimum separations between pot shops, and where they can be located.

West Kelowna councillors indicated last year they would like to see pot sold only at fullservice pharmacies. However, the motion given Àrst reading this week is to completely ban the sale of pot everywhere in the city, at least until or unless regulations are subsequently changed by council.

“Council can still decide where you want to see retail sales occur. You may want to consider site speciÀc zoning,” Henderson said.

There was little discussion on the item at Tuesday’s meeting but, for his part, Findlater indicated he would likely favour eventually allowing pot shops to open in West Kelowna. “I would like to see the availability, on a very limited basis, of both recreational and medicinal marijuana in West Kelowna. I do think it’s fair,” Findlater said.

One reason for explicitly banning pot shops now is to limit the potential of some existing stores that sell marijuana - in violation of both federal law and city bylaws - to ask they be grandfathered as valid operations when the drug is legalized, council heard.