Industrial zones preferred RMs are considering land use bylaws to restrict areas where Health Canada approved facilities can be located
Rural municipalities have little say about whether medical marijuana facilities can be located in their area, but some municipalities hope to regain control by changing their bylaws.
Suzanne Oel, a councillor with the Municipal District of Foothills in Alberta, said the MD is reviewing its land use bylaws to ensure marijuana production facilities are in industrial corridors near Highway 2.
“We can’t not allow them,” said Oel.
It’s a similar situation to what exists with cellphone towers, where little can be done to oppose them once Industry Canada approves the location.
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In the case of medical marijuana facilities, it is Health Canada’s ap-proval that is difficult to overturn.
However, Oel said that if her municipality can’t reject them, amended land use bylaws may be able to put them in appropriate locations.
“We’re limited to signing a form, really,” she said.
“We just want to have a say for residents that industrial zones are the best locations. We’re not rejecting it.”
The MD will hold public meetings over the next month to find preferred locations for the facilities in the 36,000 sq. kilometre municipality.
Oel said keeping large-scale medical marijuana production facilities in isolated industrial areas will limit the need for extra policing and strains on volunteer firefighters.
“If done professionally, I don’t see why it couldn’t fit into the county.”
Health Canada announced last year that it would contract commercial growers to supply medical marijuana to the country’s 40,000 licensed users and is now reviewing more than 230 applications.
It’s estimated that marijuana could generate $1.3 billion in sales in the next 10 years.
Under previous rules, smaller home-based operations supplied medical marijuana to licensed users.
Oel said those facilities were scattered across the municipality in houses and backyards with no one knowing who was licensed or not.
“You didn’t know where they were. It was quite a mixed up situation,” she said. “If this helps straighten things out, that will be good. We would like to see this work better.”
Neil Wilson, reeve of the MD of Willow Creek, said it should be up to municipalities to approve locations for medical marijuana production facilities.
Willow Creek has been informed of three facilities that want to build in the region. One has been approved and two others are still under review.
“We have no idea if these people are going ahead with the process,” said Wilson. “We’re being kept out of the loop.”
The MD put forward a resolution at the recent Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties convention calling for municipalities to have final say on facility placement. It was defeated.
“I don’t think the people in the room understood the gravity of the situation,” said Wilson.“When it starts affecting neighbours negatively, they will pay attention.”
Wilson said the council can tax the property but not control the activity, even if taxpayers don’t want the facility. The municipality’s adage has become, “it’s coming to a school near you,” said Wilson.
However, not everyone opposes the facilities.
Rocky View County recently approved changes to its land use bylaw to clarify acceptable locations for commercial marijuana growing operations.
The new bylaw removes marijuana as a “crop” under the county’s horticulture and agriculture rules and classifies it as a commercial operation that is limited to commercially zoned areas.
The residents of Milden, Sask., wanted Canadian Cannabis Solutions to set up shop in their community’s shuttered school.
Residents packed a meeting hall this winter to learn more about the marijuana facility’s potential economic benefits.
Village administrator Heather Maxemniuk said the project idea was short lived because the company didn’t feel the school was a suitable location.
“They’re not coming here now. They’re looking elsewhere,” she said.
