Pot shops lining up in District of North Vancouver

A year after the seed of legalization was planted, things are beginning to flower for District of North Vancouver cannabis users.

District council is set to clear some of the final hurdles non-medicinal cannabis retailers will have to clear before they can open up shop.

Council laid most of the ground rules cannabis shops must operate by in July. Apart from complying with all of the province’s regulations, council stipulated pot shops must be located at least 200 metres from the property line of any school. While they may be allowed virtually anywhere a liquor store is allowed, council is only allowing one shop each within the Maplewood, Lions Gate, Lynn Valley, Marine Drive and Lynn Creek town centres, although council tweaked that rule to allow additional shops to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Since July, seven would-be pot proprietors have applied to the province for cannabis retail licences in the district and four have filed the necessary rezoning applications, according to a staff report.

The first crop of stores sought in the district are Aura Cannabis Inc. at 1560 Main St., North Shore Cannabis at 1520 Barrow St., Muse Cannabis 385 North Dollarton Hwy. in Deep Cove, and a BC Cannabis Store at 1074 Marine Dr.

But, before anyone can line up for their indica or CBD, council must still take care of some housekeeping in their bylaws – including repealing their prohibition on cannabis retailers.

Coun. Lisa Muri said she was pleased to see the district would consider additional applications.

“Because we certainly have more than one liquor establishment in a given area,” she said.

And Muri added, the City of North Vancouver’s experience with illegal shops may provide a window into what the district can expect.

“They had a number of operations in their borders and I heard little from the local community in regards to those,” she said. “I heard a lot more when they disappeared and ‘Why isn’t the big bad district approving cannabis stores?’”

Coun. Jim Hanson said while the district’s approach may be “incrementalist,” it was prudent.

“I do believe this proposal strikes a reasonable balance between providing community access to cannabis and, for the time being at least, keeping appropriate oversight as to the locations,” he said.

Under the proposed new rules, pot shops will have to pay a one-time $2,040 fee and an annual business licence fee of $5,000, which is meant to be on par with liquor establishments and is intended to help cover policing costs.

Pot shops in the district will be limited to doing business between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Council will hold a public hearing on the rule changes on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.