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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Canada: Capping cannabis retail stores? Calgary says it's not 'off the table' Elizabeth Cameron Toronto Metro Tuesday 26 Dec 2017 Capping the number of retail stores selling cannabis within city limits isn’t out of the question for the City of Calgary as it works through the challenges presented by impending legalization. Business strategist Matt Zabloski with the city said they're currently waiting for data from a recent citizen engagement survey to be analyzed in order to see what Calgarians want when it comes to key questions, such as business zoning or rules surrounding public consumption. More than 13,000 people responded to the online feedback form in total and a phone survey of 1,000 people was also done. “We're anticipating there’s going to be a large rush of (business licensing) applications, initially at least, for retail stores and the like,” Zabloski told Metro. “At this point, we don’t anticipate a cap on the number of licenses (for cannabis retailers) – but nothing’s really off the table right now.” Zabloski said all proposed changes related to legalization, chiefly to the Land Use and Business Licensing bylaws, will be presented to city council at a special public meeting on April 5, 2018. “Hopefully that would give enough time to begin taking in applications for business licences, building and development permits, and all the rest of it, so businesses could potentially have their doors open for July, should that be the final deadline from the federal government,” he said. “Obviously the timelines are such that we don’t have the ability to wait until everything’s settled at both the provincial and federal levels before pressing forward with our bylaw amendments.” Veronica Jubinville, press secretary for Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Kathleen Ganley, told Metro the province is currently developing regulations to support Bill 26, An Act to Control and Regulate Cannabis – such as retail store requirements, the provincial licensing process, and determining ‘buffer distances’ between cannabis stores or places like schools or hospitals. “Following that, our focus will shift to public education, securing supply for the provincial distributor, and ensuring private retail follows regulations and operates safely,” Veronica Jubinville said. She said more legislation to address concerns surrounding workplace safety and taxation will be introduced in the spring. Zabloski explained the city’s zoning restrictions could be the same as, or more strict than whatever the province sets as a minimum. “We’re still working with the province to figure out what those are going to look like,” he said. The city is also evaluating if the public consumption of cannabis would fit well under the existing municipal smoking bylaw, or if an entirely different bylaw would be required. http://www.metronews.ca/news/calgary/2017/12/26/city-of-calgary-says-cap-on-cannabis-retail-stores-not-off-the-table.html
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