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Here's where you can buy cannabis in New West at a government store

A government cannabis store has been given the green light to open and sell “high-quality” products in Queensborough.
cannabis
New Westminster city council supports a government-run cannabis retail store at Queensborough Landing Shopping Centre. Photo: Pixabay

A government cannabis store has been given the green light to open and sell “high-quality” products in Queensborough.

On Monday, council approved a zoning amendment bylaw application that will allow the Liquor Distribution Branch to operate a cannabis retail store at Queensborough Landing shopping centre. Staff said the proposal is generally consistent with the city’s cannabis retail policy and it meets the city’s goals of seeing a blend of public and private stores.

Kevin Satterfield, the Liquor Distribution Branch’s director of cannabis operations, said the LDB currently operates 197 liquor stores and six non-medical retail cannabis stores across the province, with other cannabis locations approved or close to being approved by municipalities throughout B.C.

“The purpose of BC Cannabis Stores is to make high-quality cannabis products available to adult consumers,” he told council Monday night. “What is important is not only our commitment to selling legal, independently tested cannabis products purchased from licensed producers, but also our commitment to educate consumers during the process.”

At Monday’s public hearing, Satterfield stressed the B.C. Cannabis Stores’ commitment to keeping cannabis away from youth, educating customers about the products, and providing stores that are safe for customers, employees and community members. He said 12 to 20 staff will be employed in the Queensborough store.

 “We have tablets for our customers to review the full product assortment online,” he said of the store’s setup. “We have product samples in the bud jars for consumers to look at and smell, but the product is not accessible to them.”

While cannabis-related accessories will be stored in locked cases, the shop’s products won’t be stored on the sales floor.

Kal Bains, a Burnaby resident who owns property in New West, said Queensborough Landing shopping centre is an ideal location for a cannabis shop.

“A Queensborough Landing cannabis store will service a far larger audience than just Queensborough. … This strategic location could expect to have many visitors from Burnaby, Richmond and Delta, at the very least,” she said. “Having called Burnaby, Richmond and Delta, I can report that there are only two stores planned or in the potential planning stages in these three cities. Richmond currently has no plans for cannabis sales at this time, Delta has no stores on the horizon. Burnaby has two applications for government-run stores which are being advanced with no current schedule to go to public hearing.”

As part of the initial phase of cannabis retail stores in New West, council agreed to consider five stores in various neighbourhood at public hearings. While the city has always wanted to see a mix of public and private stores, a government store didn’t make the cut for the first round of applicants to be considered because it scored lower than a private store proposed in Queensborough.

Council directed staff to review the evaluation criteria for public stores and decided to consider the government’s proposal during the first round of applications, which resulted in Monday’s public hearing. Council will still consider the Queensborough Cannabis Co. Ltd. Store proposed at 540 Ewen Ave.

InJune, council approved two applications for cannabis shops: Muse Cannabis at 532 Sixth St., and Westcanna at 710 12th St.After getting council’s approval, the applicants must complete a number of steps before opening shops, including finalizing the process with the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, finalizing the business licence, obtaining building permits for any tenant improvements, ordering stock and hiring staff.