Pubdate: Tue, 17 Nov 2015
Source: Metro (Vancouver, CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Metro Canada
Contact:  http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3775
Author: Emily Jackson
Page: 4

MAYOR CALLS FOR UNIFORM RULES FOR B.C. POT SHOPS

Victoria's Leader Wants Input by Senior Government

The City of Victoria has proposed rules for pot shops that differ 
from Vancouver's new regulations governing marijuana dispensaries, 
prompting Victoria's mayor to call for uniform rules to avoid 
confusion across B.C.

A report going before Victoria city council on Thursday recommends 
much cheaper business licence fees for marijuana dispensaries - 
around $4,000 compared to $30,000 in Vancouver - and a 200-metre 
buffer zone between pot shops and schools instead of 300 metres in 
Vancouver. Meanwhile in Nanaimo, officials are cracking down on local 
dispensaries.

Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said Monday it is "utterly frustrating" to 
have to deal with dispensaries on a city-by-city basis because it 
creates confusion across the province. She'd prefer if sales were 
regulated like liquor laws that apply across the board.

"My choice would be that someone tells us all what to do rather than 
all of us making it up," she said. "The federal government couldn't 
act sooner."

Helps explained that Victoria's rules are different from Vancouver's 
since it operates under B.C.'s Community Charter, not the Vancouver 
Charter, and thus can only charge a licence fee high enough to recoup 
its costs. The smaller buffer zone around schools and other 
dispensaries has to do with charter rules around rezoning versus 
development permits.

"This is the exact problem with municipalities taking this on ... we 
get uneven regulations across the province and it makes no sense at 
all," Helps said.

On Thursday her council will also discuss whether it's better to wait 
and see if the federal government acts on the Liberals' promise to 
legalize marijuana, but Helps said there are risks associated with 
waiting when there are already two dozen marijuana-related shops in the city.

Vancouver's chief licence inspector Andrea Toma said she couldn't 
comment on how Victoria created its pot shop rules, but reiterated 
that Vancouver's 300-metre buffer zone was based on best practices 
from the U.S. She said Vancouver has no plans to change its system, 
noting it was "first out of the gate" when it came to extensive regulations.

Of the two pot shops that did not apply for licences by the city's 
deadline, one has since closed its doors and the other has stopped 
selling marijuana, Toma said.

The 176 pot shops that did apply for licences are moving through the 
city's process.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom