Burnaby residents will have the chance to voice their thoughts on local cannabis sales at a public hearing on Aug. 28.
City council will open the floor for discussion on its proposed approach to recreational pot sales, which includes shutting out private vendors in favour of government stores.
Burnaby’s plan would only allow one BC Cannabis Store in each of its four town centres – Metrotown, Lougheed, Brentwood and Edmonds.
This will allow for a measured approach to any future private stores proposed in the city after the drug is legalized for recreational use on Oct. 17, according to a report from the city’s director of planning and building, Lou Pelletier.
Under this plan, the city would take on applications to open private pot stores one at a time, similar to how it currently approaches private liquor store requests.
“Staff believe this controlled zoning process to be appropriate for cannabis stores,” Pelletier wrote. “Furthermore, a public hearing, which is a required component of the rezoning process, provides a familiar opportunity for local residents to provide comment on each cannabis store proposal. This ensures an appropriate level of community awareness, engagement and consensus.”
The store regulation plan is the city’s chief role in dealing with the coming legalization of cannabis.
The federal government has passed legislation controlling the supply, as well as setting the minimum age for use and purchase at 18, which provinces can increase (B.C. has set it at 19).
Each province is responsible for regulating distribution, public use and new laws around impaired driving.
B.C. has elected to create its own BC Cannabis stores, similar to BC Liquor Stores but will also allow and regulate private distributors.
