The Town of Athabasca's council took a first step towards preparing for legalized cannabis by passing a land use bylaw amendment during its June 19 meeting that will accommodate for the drug.
Town council unanimously carried a motion by Coun. Robert Balay to give first reading to the amendment, which incorporates regulations for cannabis retailers and production facilities into the town's land use bylaw. Council also set July 17 for the date of the public hearing on the bylaw amendment, which requires two additional readings by town council to be finalized.
Mayor Colleen Powell said town staff have gone through the entire land use bylaw to add cannabis wherever it is needed to meet regulations.
"Anywhere where we have to insert cannabis as a regulatory thing, it has been put in there," Powell said during the council meeting.
The amendment removes a series of definitions in the town's current land use bylaw them and replaces them with definitions that make reference to cannabis facilities.
The bylaw amendment also lists the rules and regulations for different cannabis facilities to operate in town. It also proposes all cannabis facilities be discretionary use, which means they will have to come before the town's municipal planning commission for approval, according to assistant chief administrative officer Rachel Ramey.
Coun. John Traynor mused about making cannabis business permits more expensive than other business permits.
"I know in Edmonton they're looking at two or three times the amount for a permit to open a store like that," Traynor said. "I wonder if that'd something we would look at as the municipal planning commission."
Ramey said that would fall under the business licence bylaw, which staff have not delved into yet.
"The only thing I've done with cannabis at this point is added the requirement in our land use bylaw," Ramey said.
Powell said having the public hearing for the amendment in the middle of summer is not ideal, but added the town will be doing more changes to the land use bylaw in the future.
"We have to go in our land use bylaw in more detail for other reasons later on," Powell said during the meeting. "We should get these amendments in first and then we can open the whole thing up for a thorough scrubbing."
Traynor said he agreed =holding the hearing in the summer is an issue but added he expects people will attend.
"This is such a relevant and current topic that I think people will be interested in coming out and giving their opinions on it," Traynor said during the meeting.
The public hearing for the bylaw amendment is set for July 17 at 6 p.m. in the town council chambers.
The Government of Canada has announced cannabis will be legal Oct. 17.
