An application by a budding entrepreneur to sell cannabis in Westlock is now awaiting approval.
Town of Westlock chief administrative officer Dwight Dibben confirmed that the Harvest Country Cannabis Store applied for a retail sales licence June 20 through the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Control Board, while the development application process is ongoing.
Mayor Ralph Leriger just learned about the application as he returned from vacation. The store is proposed for a space at 3-9935 106 St. in downtown Westlock.
“It’s been an ongoing issue that council is aware of, so in that regard it’s nothing new. The fact that we have an application for a store is new to me, because I’ve been away, but it’s not unexpected,” said Leriger June 24, adding he considers the store to be just another business.
“Our council’s position all along has been that this is federal jurisdiction. The province has also set out some regulations and we will follow those regulations, in terms of zoning and all of those issues.”
On June 19, the Canadian Senate passed Bill C-45: The Cannabis Act by a 52-29 vote. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons the next day that all provincial and municipal frameworks will need to be in place by Oct. 17 as the bill received Royal Assent June 21.
However, Westlock RCMP Staff Sgt. Al Baird says he has not received any orders from further up the chain of command as to how police will enforce Canada’s soon-to-be abolished marijuana prohibition.
Baird said that until he receives word from his commanding officers, the laws will continue to be enforced, meaning don’t expect to be able to light up a joint during Canada Day celebrations.
“Right now it’s still illegal,” said Baird. “Nothing changes until the law changes, so we’re just going to keep doing our job and when it becomes legal, that’s the time we will stop the enforcement.”
Each province has been given authority as to what the retail cannabis industry will look like, resulting in a wide variety of different systems that range from exclusively government-owned retailers in Ontario, to a mostly free-market system in Alberta.
Currently the province is expecting 250 private retailers to open up shop within the first year.
As for store locations, they must be at least 100 metres from schools and health care facilities and no business, or person, will be allowed to own more than 15 per cent of the total outlets.
Online sales will be operated by the province.
People who have been convicted of simple possession of cannabis will still be able to work in the industry, but anyone with a trafficking conviction, or more serious crimes like assault, will not be able to.
The legal age for consumption will be 18, while a maximum of 30 grams can be purchased at any given time.
Edible products will remain illegal for the time being, though the federal government is expected to bring legislation to cover that within a year.
Alberta is also allowing municipalities to add their own rules to the framework, though as of yet no bylaws regulating cannabis have been established by the Town of Westlock, Westlock County, or Village of Clyde.
Baird said people need to be patient while the government continues to work on the regulations.
“The laws haven’t changed yet. They’re going to, but it’s not a free pass for people to do whatever they want,” he said.
“It’s status quo for us as police until the government tells us otherwise.”
Licensing and the AGLC
The AGLC board will consider objections to a new licence within 21 days of posting for the retail licence applications.
Municipalities, not the AGLC, regulate factors like the number of cannabis stores in a municipality, their location, or the amount of space between them, matters that involve retail competition and community image, safety and property values.
A list of pending cannabis licence applications can be found at: https://aglc.ca/sites/aglc.ca/files/aglc_files/CannabisLicenceApplications-2018-06-22.pdf
