Regulations for cannabis retail sales have passed first reading in the Town of Bonnyville.
At their May 22 meeting, town council gave first reading to amendments to the land use bylaw that include rules for marijuana retail stores and production facilities.
Council opted to move forward with a minimum separation distance of 150-metres for cannabis retailers. If the bylaw gets approved as is, that buffer zone would apply to schools, a child care centre or children’s recreation centre, a provincial healthcare facility, school reserve or municipal school reserve, and public parks or playgrounds.
The bylaw comes following a cannabis open house the town held on May 16, which had a low turnout from residents.
“We had the open house, and we had 10 members of the public attend in the four-hour period. We did a summary sheet of responses with regards to setbacks, separation distances, and whether they should be limited to one sign,” explained director of planning and development Katherine Currie.
“With that very small open house that we had, we went with the information from that,” added Coun. Rene Van Brabant, who was acting mayor for the meeting. “We know there are probably going to be some changes on the second reading. Hopefully, after it appears in the news that we’ve passed this reading, and residents can see what the bylaw states, we’re going to get more feedback.”
As it sits right now, the regulations allow the development authority to approve a 10 per cent variance on the separation distance, providing there’s no objections from adjacent property owners.
Cannabis retail stores also won’t be allowed to set up within any residential districts in town, and must be at least 20-metres away from the boundary of a property within a residential land use district. They will be restricted from being located within existing stores that sell alcohol, tobacco, or pharmaceuticals.
In addition to the separation distances, the bylaw outlines that cannabis retail sales will be listed as discretionary use. This will ensure each application has to come before the Municipal Planning Commission, and that adjacent landowners within 150-metres of the proposed location are notified prior to approval.
Cannabis production facilities are also listed as a discretionary use in the general industrial district only.
When it comes to signage, business owners of marijuana stores will be limited to one on-site sign for the purpose of identifying the location. They won’t be allowed to advertise products, sales, or location on any window signage, or temporary or portable signs on or off-site.
Hours of operation for these stores will be in-line with the Alberta Liquor and Gaming Commission’s regulations, which is currently set from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
The bylaw further states that the consumption of cannabis by smoking or vaping in public will follow the provincial legislation, and will be prohibited within hospital, school, and child care properties. The use of recreational marijuana will also follow the town’s current smoking bylaw or provincial legislation, depending on whichever is stricter.
Now that the first reading of the bylaw was passed by council, a public hearing has been set for June 12 at town hall. It’s open for all residents to provide formal feedback on the regulations, before it moves onto second reading.
Van Brabant encourages everyone to take advantage of the opportunity.
“We’re working for the people. We need to tell them what we’re doing and we want information from them.”
