Tofino mulls restrictions on pot shop locations

Town wants ‘cautious’ approach; hearing on Tuesday

With cannabis legalization just months away, the District of Tofino is considering a bylaw that would heavily restrict where pot shops can operate in the community.

A public hearing is set for Tuesday. People will be able to weigh in on the proposed bylaw, which would “prohibit the use of any land, building or structure for the sale, production or distribution of cannabis,” according to a notice of public hearing on the district’s website.

The zoning amendment would cover the whole of Tofino.

However, one Tofino councillor said the bylaw is not an outright ban on pot shops or cannabis growers.

Coun. Dorothy Baert said that under the current zoning bylaw, cannabis shops could presumably be permitted anywhere that retail sales are permitted in Tofino.

That’s why council wants to repeal the bylaw and then replace it with one that would allow council to consider cannabis retail applications on a case-bycase basis, Baert said.

That would allow the municipality to spot-zone pot shops and take community input into account, she said.

“It’s simply a tool to allow us to manage the introduction of retail cannabis into the community in a way similar to how operations like beer and wine stores are managed,” Baert said.

The amendment ensures Tofino council is “taking a cautious approach to the storefront retail sales of recreational cannabis and cannabis production in advance of detailed and final provincial regulations,” according to an information bulletin on the district’s website.

“Contrary to opinions that have been expressed on social media, Tofino council, on whole, is supportive of cannabis legalization if that legalization is done carefully and stepwise.”

The zoning amendment will not have an impact on the distribution or use of medicinal cannabis, which is regulated by the federal government, or on recreational cannabis use.

The public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Tofino Municipal Hall, 351 Arnet Rd.

This week, the provincial government outlined its plans for recreational marijuana sales in B.C. Cannabis will be sold in a network of standalone stores, both privately run and government operated, overseen by the province’s liquor regulator, the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch.

Municipalities will have the authority to set rules on where stores can operate.

Some B.C. municipalities, such as Victoria and Vancouver, have already put in place regulatory regimes under which pot shops must meet strict rezoning requirements before they’re given a business licence.