Municipalities prep for medical marijuana sites

Times Contributor  

 

Like many municipalities across the nation, the Town of Strathmore and the County of Wheatland are discussing what bylaw changes are needed to cover the medical marijuana facility grow ops that gain approval after April 1 of this year.

Health Canada is divesting some of its responsibility for medical marijuana production by opening up regulated licensed production facilities to qualified outside applicants. Users can no longer grow their own product, but must purchase it from registered production facilities. The regulations will weed out home grow-ops and increase safety for users.

“We are no different than any other city. The city of Ottawa doesn’t even have any regulations on this. Everyone is trying to figure out how this is going to play out and we won’t know until all the chips fall on the ground,” said Wheatland County Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Alan Parkin.

The county has already had several inquiries from parties interested in setting up business in Wheatland County. 

The lucrative returns anticipated by producers have some speculators jumping feet first into setting up shop, prior to assurances that licenses are approved.

Some of the aspects of the new program are not clear and many municipalities are asking for direction from Health Canada on the process. Questions of whether the license comes before application for municipal permits or vice versa, why legitimate producers cannot be identified, how their waste by-product will be disposed of and site safety concerns are to be considered. 

Parkin said the uncharted territory could perhaps have been a little less bumpy had Health Canada given more municipal consultations, before the implementation of the new regulations. 

There are questions over jurisdiction and whether the municipalities have the ability to ban the facilities in their area. Parkin speculated that if Health Canada approves the company’s license, the municipality would only have a say on development and building permit issues.

Under frequently asked questions, the Health Canada website states that municipalities cannot stop the licensing process even if they disagree with some of the requirements, but they can address their concerns to the production site owner and enforce any local bylaws.

The city of Richmond B.C. decided this month to ban production facilities from their city.

Most municipalities are leaning toward locating the facilities in industrial areas for safety and security reasons. Parkin said he didn’t think council would consider agricultural designations as the facilities are suited to more of a closed manufacturing or production facility.

The first reading of a bylaw to deal with the issue comes before Wheatland council at the beginning of March, and if approved by council, the process will move to seek public opinion through the public hearing process.

“This will provide the public with an opportunity to give us some feedback,” said Parkin. “We have 8,500 ratepayers and if the ratepayers are against it, it’s then up to council how they will want to deal with that.”

There have been concerns in various communities over safety issues.

“They assured us, in some of the correspondence we have had recently, that there would be a rigorous initial inspection processes and subsequent follow-up,” said Parkin. 

The Town of Strathmore has a few councillors that have voiced support for allowing producers to set up shop within town limits.

“I think we should keep an open mind on this…to be quite honest,” said Councillor Rocky Blokland. “This is very strictly regulated. It is not just an open greenhouse out in the country, with labourers growing marijuana. There is a very strict patrol on this…It would bring increased employment into the town and spinoff financial diversity.”

Parkin did not see there being any greater tax benefits, as property tax is based on facility square footage. He said more information was needed on any safety concerns that might be involved.

“We need to ensure along with this that the protection for our citizens is out there,” said Parkin.