The City of New Westminster has temporarily closed the door on cannabis sales – but will soon welcome input on how it should sold in the city.
City council recently approved a zoning amendment bylaw that clarifies that the retail sale of non-medical cannabis is currently unlawful in New Westminster.
“The last thing we want to do is have some businesses that may not quite fit our regulations but slip in before we get those in place, and then we are stuck in a very awkward legal position,” Mayor Jonathan Cote said at a recent public hearing. “Tonight really is about keeping the door closed at this point, but we fully acknowledge that legalization is going to be coming this summer and we want to make sure that we are prepared in early fall to make sure we have the regulations to allow retail sale of cannabis.”
Cote said the zoning amendment bylaw is intended to close the gap and ensure no cannabis retailers open before legalization occurs. He said the city will continue to work at creating a framework that is going to permit the retail sale of cannabis.
“We do need to make sure that we get those regulations right and take the time to connect with different groups in the community to make sure we set that up,” he said.
The federal government is set to introduce a Cannabis Act by July 2018, which will allow Canadians to buy non-medical cannabis from retailers who’ve been authorized to sell the product. The city has been working on a framework for regulating cannabis, which addresses five areas that may fall under municipal jurisdiction: cannabis retail sales and consumption establishments; non-medical cannabis production facilities; business licensing regulating; public consumption; and personal cultivation.
Jackie Teed, the city’s acting director of development services, said the city will be doing public consultation in the next couple of months, with a goal of presenting a final draft framework to council before the summer break.
At the public hearing, longtime New Westminster resident Frank Wilson urged the city to consider adopting a bylaw similar to what’s been adopted by the City of Vancouver. As a security professional, he supports the majority of Vancouver’s bylaw.
“I just feel very strongly that sometimes it’s better not to reinvent the wheel when it’s been properly made already,” he said.
Ehren Richardson, vice-president of the Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries, said the organization helped with the implementation of bylaws in Vancouver and Victoria. He said the association has learned some lessons along the way and would like to help New Westminster develop its bylaws.
“I have been through the ringer. There is a lot to learn,” he said. “I am hoping that we can pass along some of that knowledge to you so the folks that set up shop here will ultimately have a much more effective and streamlined path to regulating access.”
In the next couple of months, the city will conduct online surveys and host consultation events as part of the public process.
Coun. Mary Trentadue believes New Westminster could really benefit by learning about other cities’ experiences and hearing from people and organizations that have been involved in the issue.
“Council will be making decisions about things that are fairly new ground for us,” she said. “I think the more input we have the better decision we will be able to make and the less mistakes. I think that we don’t want to make mistakes about this particular plan. We also don’t want businesses to have to suffer through our mistakes. I would recommend that people contribute as much as possible.
