City receives application for second cannabis retail store in downtown Swift Current
A second retail cannabis location is aiming to open in Swift Current’s downtown core.
Swift Current City Council received an application at their January 14 meeting from Westleaf Retail Inc. and 102014474 Saskatchewan Inc. who are proposing to locate a new cannabis retail store at 220 Central Ave. N.
As the proposed location in the Central Downtown District needs council’s approval as a discretionary use, the request has triggered a series of additional Zoning Bylaw processes, including a public hearing at an upcoming Swift Current City Council meeting.
Michael Ruus, General Manager of Planning and Growth Development for the City of Swift Current, noted in a report to council these additional procedures help guide council in their considerations.
“Additional procedures, including a public hearing, are also required to ensure Council considers whether the proposed development conforms to the Bylaw’s site regulations and development standards, will not be a source of nuisance or endanger the public, and will not impeded the orderly development of the surrounding property,” the report states.
Back on June 1, 2018, permits were issued to Dreamweavers Cannabis Products Inc. and 102014474 Saskatchewan Inc. by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming (SLGA) after a draw to select the successful applicants of their drawing of retail cannabis store operators in Saskatchewan. Dreamweavers Cannabis Products Inc. opened their location on 106 Central Ave. N. in late December 2018.
For this latest application, property owners within a 75 metre radius of the proposed development will receive a letter notifying them of the application. Additionally, the notice of a public meeting will be advertised for two weeks in the Southwest Booster, and the notice will also appear on the City of Swift Current website.
Ruus noted the feedback at the public hearing is an important part of the application process.
“One of the major concerns we heard early on in kind of initiating this process to look at brining cannabis retail into the community was the youth centre downtown being a big issue. But establishing cannabis retail as a discretionary use kind of provided that safeguard, so if anything was within that 75 metre radius of the youth centre they would have the opportunity to comment. This is well outside that radius, so I can’t really predict what the outcome would be or what the neighbouring properties may think about this development.”
“From our perspective, looking at downtown development, we want to see vacant spaces filled. So I think that’s a positive that we have a new business that is wanting to invest in the community and move forward to help employ people and grow the community.”
Ruus said the public hearing is likely to be at the Monday, February 11 City Council meeting, so it gives the public lots of opportunity to become familiar with the location and raise any areas of concern.
“It’s so important,” Ruus said of the public hearing process. “That’s one thing that our team has really been pushing for the last five years at least, we’ve been constantly trying to reflect on our practices for trying to engage the community and just try and be better every time we go do a next project. Whether it’s the official community plan, our downtown master plan, the rec park and culture plan, school sites, we’re constantly striving to improve and make sure that people have the opportunity at the very least to be involved if they’re interested and give their feedback so that we can make better decisions at the end of the day.”