Concerns grow over pot greenhouse expansions
Pelham officials turn to Health Canada for solution
Mayor Dave Augustyn fears Pelham is poised to become the “cannabis capital of Canada,” despite mounting concerns among residents.
And with plans in the works to build and expand greenhouses used for producing marijuana in the town, municipal councillors and local federal representatives are pressuring Health Canada to ensure those operations will no longer adversely impact the neighbours of those facilities.
After numerous complaints during the past several months about odours emanating from a marijuana greenhouse on Foss Road operated by the Redecan — one of six properties in the town currently licenced for the production of marijuana — Augusytn said town council will consider a motion at its July 16 meeting to “very strongly encourage Health Canada to
use the powers they have and enforce their regulations.”
That motion will be sent to the federal government and circulated to Niagara municipalities, he added.
The company says it has taken steps to mitigate the impact on neighbours, but Augustyn said Health Canada has “to take this particular operator very seriously because this has been going on since at least the start of the new year.”
Augustyn said the town’s bylaw enforcement officers received 40 complaints about the Foss Road greenhouse since the start of the year — and most of those were filed in May.
“It’s through the roof,” Augustyn said.
He said the skunky odour emanating from the greenhouse is sporadic.
“It comes in waves. Some weekends people say they can smell it. Other weekends, they can’t, but it’s affecting a huge number of people across the town of Pelham and Welland.”
Neighbouring residenst contacted this week said the odour has improved somewhat in recent weeks but the area still sometimes smells of skunk, with a hint of another odour masking it.
A staff report presented to Pelham council earlier this month says Health Canada inspectors visited the site in February and returned in May, and the company has been working in co-operation with the federal agency to find a solution.
“The facility has tried different scents for its odour control misting system including a “citrus scent,” the report says — adding Health Canada “acknowledged that the current misting system is inadequate to control the release of odour from the facility but that the facility has and continues to be co-operative in finding a solution to the issue.”
Although Health Canada can issue warning letters, compliance letters and suspend licenses to grow the plant, the town report says no such action has been taken.
Meanwhile, Pelham’s planning director Barbara Wiens said the greenhouse on Foss Road is at the start of a major expansion to the existing 136,512 square foot facility. When complete, that greenhouse is expected to be about 400,344 square feet in size.
Another new marijuana greenhouse operated by CannTrust is poised to officially open its doors next week, at the intersection of Balfour Road and Regional Road 20.
While the greenhouse will initially be 255,000 square feet, the company plans to ultimately expand it to more than 500,000 — the size of seven football fields.
And Aleafia Health Inc. — a medical marijuana company headed up by former OPP commissioner and former Conservative MP for Vaughn, Julian Fantino — also announced in a media release issued in May that it is acquiring a 160,000 square-foot automated greenhouse facility in Niagara for $9.6 million, with a transaction closing date set for July 4.
Although the media release said the greenhouse is located within Niagara, it did not specify the municipality where it is located.
Asked for more information, a company spokesperson there are “still a number of steps for it to be finalized,” and more information would be available at that time.
Niagara West MP Dean Allison raised the issue in the House of Commons last week, saying the odours produced by greenhouse operations “negatively affect property values and the quality of life for other residences.”
“My constituents from the Town of Pelham are concerned about strong odours from a local marijuana production facility,” the Conservative MP said. “The smell is overpowering from 1 km away.”
Allison said the “local municipality and Health Canada are debating jurisdiction over the issue,” and “because of this, nothing is being done.”
But Augustyn said there’s no confusion about who has jurisdiction in the matter.
“Health Canada regulates this product and the growth of this product. It’s their licence,” Augustyn said.
He said municipalities can ensure the greenhouses are built on agricultural-zoned property, and that the structures comply with the building code, but it’s up to Health Canada to regulate the operation of the greenhouses.
“We encourage Dean Allison to do the work that he needs to do as an opposition member, and also (Niagara Centre MP) Vance Badawey as a government member, to push Health Canada to act and make sure this issue is solved, so people can enjoy their yards,” Augustyn said.
In his statement in the House of Commons, Allison said his constituents are asking for “clearer rules, the ability to enforce these rules with respect to marijuana production, and even more-so now that recreational marijuana is right around the corner.”
Allan.Benner@niagaradailies.com
905-225-1629 | @abenner1