By Dominic Abassi

Province applies for two BC Cannabis Store locations in Nanaimo

Oct 30, 2018 | 3:16 PM

NANAIMO — The provincial government wants to open up a pair of BC Cannabis Stores in Nanaimo.

Lainya Rowett, the City’s manager of current planning, told NanaimoNewsNOW the Liquor Distribution Branch applied for rezoning at two locations to allow for retail cannabis sales. One application is for a new building facing the Island Hwy. in the parking lot at Country Club Centre and the other asked to rezone an existing storefront in the Woodgrove Crossing complex on Mary Ellen Dr.

Rowett said the City will move the applications forward as quickly as possible but there is a significant amount of work to undertake.

“There’s going to be a few months of simply sharing information and getting feedback before we can take a bylaw forward for introduction to Council,” Rowett said.

She noted the cannabis storefront applications from the provincial government will be handled in the same manner as a private retailer, requiring a vote of Council and a public hearing to approve rezoning. In the case of the proposed Country Club site, development and building permits will also be needed.

24/7 support

Major supportive housing complex set to open in Nanaimo

30m ago

whale rescue

Killer whale calf trapped in B.C. swims out of lagoon

3h ago

permanent home

'We're hugely grateful:' Nanaimo Men's Shed group finds a place to call home

7h ago

Nanaimo’s bylaws require cannabis retail stores to be at least 200 metres from licenced daycares and schools, something Rowett said the province worked with the City to avoid.

“They are outside of the school and daycare buffers, so they’ve addressed those guidelines already,” she said, noting there are no regulations requiring cannabis stores to be a certain distance away from liquor stores.

Currently a retail location in Kamloops is the only provincially operated BC Cannabis Store open in B.C. and the Ministry of Attorney General would not say what other locations are being explored.

Rowett said to date the City received five applications in total for retail cannabis locations since Oct. 22. The three others came from private operators, proposing stores in the Globe Hotel, at 111 Nicol St. and 1599 Dufferin Cr. She said several others came forward with incomplete applications so the City did not accept the rezoning requests.

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi