City of Langford gearing up for retail cannabis
by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
Monday, April 30, 2018 ~ LANGFORD. The City of Langford will be issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the retail sale of cannabis and related products, open May 1 to June 1.
The motion was approved at a Special Council Meeting this evening, April 30. The RFP was prepared in consultation with the City’s lawyers.
Following presentation of a staff report by Langford CAO Darren Kiedyk that included details of the guiding principles for the sale of non-medical cannabis products within the Langford municipality, the motion to go ahead with the cannabis RFP was moved by Councillor Lillian Szpak who heads up the City of Langford Protective Services Committee. Mayor and Council supported the motion.
Council has now directed staff to wait to see how the Province of BC and the Capital Regional District (CRD) will be regulating and enforcing issues of cannabis odour and nuisance prior to granting any temporary use permits that are related to retail sales of cannabis and related products.
Langford says it expects the provincial government to be outlining remaining details of BC’s non-medicinal cannabis regulatory framework in “the coming months”. The federal government is coursing quickly to a July 1, 2018 cannabis legalization deadline that evolved from promises made during the federal Liberal campaign in 2015.
Langford’s guiding principles for the retail sale of cannabis products for non-medicinal use include that businesses selling those products not be located within:
• 500 metres of any other location where the retail sale of cannabis products for non-medicinal use has been authorized (with the exception of Goldstream Avenue, where two locations may be considered);
• 300 metres of any school;
• 300 metres of any group daycare;
• 150 metres of Centennial Park, Veterans Memorial Park, City Centre Park, Westhills YMCA, and regional or Provincial park, or any of the three lakes in Langford (Langford, Glen, Florence); • 50 metres of any land zoned R1 (one-family residential) or R2 (one- and two-family residential) except within the city centre.
Potential cannabis retailers will need to provide a proposed plan for financially assisting the City of Langford with policing and bylaw enforcement costs, including the costs of additional training and administration as associated with:
- Ensuring that the retail sale of cannabis products for non-medicinal use in a particular location is in compliance with the regulatory framework and all applicable city bylaws;
- Minimizing the impact on the neighbourhood of the retail sale of cannabis products for non-medicinal use;
- Addressing nuisance issues relating to public use of cannabis products for non-medicinal purposes;
- Addressing impairment issues relating to public use of cannabis products for non-medicinal purposes; and;
- Providing educational initiatives and materials associated with the above impacts are related social concerns.
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