The ban on cannabis businesses extends to July and does not include current medical dispensaries Only two people presented their views at a public hearing held by city hall on Monday to get the public's reaction to a proposed moratorium on recreational cannabis sales. Both presentations took less than one minute. Brenton Raby said he supports the moratorium. He said he hopes the city will change its terminology by replacing the word "marijuana" with the word "cannabis." Herb Couch said he is pleased that the moratorium does not include medical cannabis. [continues 178 words]
Nelson council will hold a public hearing on Monday about its intention to disallow recreational cannabis businesses at least until July. It plans to do this through change to its zoning bylaw. Council decided in December that it wants this moratorium because it does not want anyone opening up a recreational cannabis business in Nelson before federal and provincial rules are made known in the summer, and before council has carried out a public consultation process that will start this month. [continues 334 words]
Council also, planning public consultation on new cannabis rules Nelson council will place a moratorium on the opening of recreational cannabis retail businesses in Nelson until July 2018. At its Monday meeting, council made this commitment in anticipation of as-yet-unknown provincial and federal rules about recreational marijuana cultivation and sales. Council also decided to set up a process in January and February to ask the public what it thinks about recreational cannabis businesses in Nelson. "Do you want recreational cannabis dispensaries, where might they be, how many, what should the bylaws include in terms of consumption? And we want to hear from a broad spectrum of the community," Mayor Deb Kozak said. [continues 563 words]
Most dispensaries will have to apply for temporary use permits Nelson City Council approved two business license applications for medical marijuana dispensaries and denied two requests for exemptions on Tuesday evening. In May, council approved the applications of five dispensaries but refused the applications of the Cannabis Compassion Club and Canna Clinic because the two businesses did not meet some of the requirements of the city's Medical Cannabis Business Licence Bylaw. Since then, both businesses have re-applied. On Tuesday, council approved Canna Clinic's new application because the business has now provided a security plan, complied with the signage/transparency requirements, and provided a proper ventilation system. [continues 470 words]
Nelson council voted to award business licenses to five pot dispensaries on Monday. All six of the dispensaries currently operating submitted applications as well as a new business, Medical Mary Jane, which plans to move into Nelson Commons. The application by Canna Clinic was turned down, according to city planner Pam Mierau, because the owners submitted their application on April 19, well past the March 31 deadline, and even then the business was lacking in some of the requirements under Nelson's bylaw - for instance, they had no security plan, unmet signage requirements, and no proper filtration system. [continues 715 words]
Nelson council voted in favour of final adoption of its medical cannabis business licence bylaw as well as its cannabis business zoning amendment bylaw on Monday night, stating that the bylaws will be in place until the federal government brings in regulations. Mayor Deb Kozak said council has spent an inordinate amount of time discussing this. "There have been many hours of staff and council research, it has been onerous. We are trying to put in place a good interim bylaw composed of best practices, plus taking into consideration our small downtown." [continues 585 words]
Nelson city council has begun the process of amending its zoning bylaw to make marijuana dispensaries a prohibited activity in all zones in the city. But even if it passes, it does not necessarily mean that the city would shut down any existing dispensaries or refuse any future ones. Instead, the city's approach is that the bylaw will allow the city to be more prepared for the federal legalization of marijuana expected in the spring. And, before legalization, it will give council more means to shut down a dispensary if it is operating unsafely: selling to underage people or operating near a school, for example. [continues 490 words]
Politicians from three BC communities - Nelson, Merritt, and Squamish - - led discussions about marijuana dispensaries at the annual meeting this week of the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) in Vancouver. Those three communities have handled the current regulatory uncertainties very differently, said Mayor Deb Kozak of Nelson in a phone interview from Vancouver with the Star. "Squamish took the approach that they would licence them at $5,000 a year," said Kozak, "and they have rules about where you can have dispensaries, and how many, and they don't allow them on the main drag. Their bylaw was challenged in court and the judge upheld the bylaw." [continues 488 words]
Mayor Deb Kozak has been asked to present to upcoming conferences about three city initiatives in which she says the outside world sees Nelson as being "ahead of the curve." She and her staff have been invited to make presentations and take part in panel discussions, one on marijuana legislation and another on short term rental housing, at the upcoming Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) conference in Vancouver this month. And Kozak will be travelling to Victoria to address a Canadian Mental Health Association conference about the Nelson Street Culture Collaborative and its activities. [continues 575 words]
New rules aimed at clarity for marijuana dispensaries Nelson city council hopes changes to its business licence bylaw will help to chip away at the legal ambiguity around marijuana dispensaries. The bylaw, previously unaltered since 1990, will now require a licensed business to be in compliance with local, provincial and federal laws. Mayor Deb Kozak says this puts the city in a position to better enforce the bylaw when the federal government comes out with new legislation on marijuana in the near future. The bylaw passed third reading and is still to be adopted at a future meeting. Its full text is attached at the online version of this story at nelsonstar.com [end]
Changes Requested in Hospital Funding, Social Services, and Marijuana Regulations When federal and provincial governments make decisions, municipal governments often get stuck with more than their fair share of the work and expense. Last week Nelson council decided to lobby senior governments for change on four such issues: capital funding for hospitals, income assistance service delivery, marijuana legislation, and marijuana revenues. Capital funding for hospitals Municipal taxation covers 40 per cent of provincial hospital funding and that cost is reflected in residents' annual property tax bills. Council believes this is asking too much of municipalities, and its resolution asks the Union of BC Municipalities to petition the provincial government to "acknowledge that property tax revenue is an unsuitable avenue to fund hospital infrastructure renewal projects, and prioritize the urgent review of the historic cost sharing ratio with a recommendation to amend current policy accordingly." [continues 485 words]
