Port Coquitlam will look at taking the same approach to cannabis sales as it has for regulating pubs and liquor stores.
Later next month, the city is expected to reach out to residents and stakeholders to gain feedback on its proposed policy.
But the time needed for consultation and subsequent bylaw readings means city council likely won’t have a legislative framework in place until late November — about a month after the federal government legalizes pot for recreational use Oct. 17.
And if such a framework is adopted by council, there will be a 30-day window for city staff to review applications from private and public retailers, meaning cannabis shops likely won’t be popping up in PoCo until the new year.
Last Friday, PoCo planning manager Jennifer Little told The Tri-City News that city staff have received several requests from potential operators interested in opening cannabis stores in PoCo.
“They’ve been told to wait until the consultation process is complete and the framework is in place,” she said, adding no pre-applications have been submitted.
Under PoCo's plan, which went before the city's community and intergovernmental committee last Tuesday, the city could potentially have up to seven or eight cannabis shops in commercial districts if the regulatory framework mirrors that governing neighbourhood pubs and liquor stores.
PoCo’s proposal for requirement of a minimum 1-km distance between cannabis stores is one of the largest sizes compared with similar policies in New Westminster (200 m), Vancouver (300 m), and Victoria and Courtenay (400 m). In Denver, Colo., and Seattle, Wash., where cannabis is legal, the distance is 304.8 m.
Still, PoCo’s plan for cannabis shops calls for a 200 m space from schools, playgrounds, community centres and sports fields — smaller than in other jurisdictions, according to a city staff report.
Little said civic staff will look at the best locations when it comes to picking retailers wanting site-specific property rezoning.
“We want to ensure they meet our criteria and their land use is the best fit for the community," she said.
Besides the property evaluation, cannabis retail operators will also have to meet provincial security standards; have odour controls (with air filtration systems); and pay an annual licence fee of $1,500 (in comparison, New West charges $2,698 and Victoria $5,000).
Little said the city wants to hear from PoCo residents as well as industry stakeholders, Downtown PoCo Business Improvement Association members, Coquitlam RCMP, the Union of BC
Municipalities and the newly renamed Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch — which is licensing and monitoring the private retail sale of non-medical cannabis in B.C. — about its proposal.
Pardeep Purewal, PoCo’s communications manager, said the one-month consultation will include a survey and open house.
Last year, PoCo council clamped down on cannabis retail stores, banning all cannabis-related sales, activities and paraphernalia other than at a licensed pharmacy, in private homes and on properties zoned to grow medical cannabis.
In May, the B.C. government passed the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act to delegate powers to municipalities to set their own production, public consumption and education policies; hours of operation for retailers are between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. but some jurisdictions may impose for shorter opening times.
PoCo council recently changed its smoking control bylaw to ban tobacco and cannabis smoking (and vaping) in parks, playgrounds, public gathering spots and around building entrances.
jcleugh@tricitynews.com
