Surrey council sent city staff back to the drawing board on Monday after it was asked to approve a cannabis retail store on property owned by the City of Surrey in Newton Town Centre as a “pilot” project.
Coun. Doug Elford said he’s opposed to the City of Surrey “becoming pot landlords” and asked for a re-think.
“I firmly believe that we should let the private industry run the retail business and I don’t think that Surrey should be actively involved as landlords in the cannabis industry,” he said. “We’re not landlords for the liquor industry and I firmly believe there’s better use for city lands, particularly for affordable housing for example.”
The report indicated that, upon approval, the store would be located at 13455-72 Ave. and city staff would bring forward a rezoning proposal in the fall. Drawn up by Don Luymes, Surrey’s general manager of planning and development, and Scott Neuman, general manager of engineering, it asked council to direct staff to develop the procedure and criteria for assessing and selecting proponents to operate cannabis retail businesses and approve a “policy framework” to regulate such stores.
Luymes pointed out that not all approved locations would be city-owned. “I think council understands this, that in no way would the city be operating these locations, even if they are city-owned properties. The private sector would be operating and there would be a process proposed to pick the operator that is appropriate, has the best business case and the best fit to a location, whether it’s city-owned or whether it’s a private site.”
The idea is to give the City of Surrey more control over the number and location of cannabis stores, as opposed to Vancouver’s 71 locations, which he likened to “kind of a wild-west of cannabis retail outlets.”
Coun. Linda Annis agreed with Elford. “I don’t think any other cities in Canada are doing this. I think it should be turned back to the private sector and let the market take it where it needs to go,” she said. “I don’t think the city should be meddling in this business.”
Coun. Nagra noted that Surrey is in a housing crisis and should be more focused on providing housing “than being the landlords of pot shops.” He also didn’t like the location suggested for the pilot store. “People in Newton don’t want a cannabis store in their neighborhood,” he said. “So if you want a cannabis store let’s look at other areas, but not in Newton.”
Coun. Rob Stutt also voiced “concerns,” while Coun. Harry Bains noted there are things that can be done in a lease agreement that can’t be done in a bylaw. “That’s for the protection of the public,” he said. “If there’s a marijuana store that’s selling to children, it’s easier as a landlord to step in and terminate that lease immediately. So the intent of staff is clearly appreciated here.”
According to the report, in the initial phase no more than one store would be allowed in the city centre, Guildford, Fleetwood, Cloverdale, Newton and Semiahmoo. As for future phases, staff “will monitor the success of the initial set of approved locations and business operations and report to council after one year of operation.”
Moreover, stores would have to be 150 metres away from public parks, libraries, recreation centres and all public and private schools, Kindergarten to Grade 12.
Meantime, council was also asked by staff Monday to close rezoning applications received for cannabis retail stores at 7380 King George Blvd. and 13650 – 102 Ave. and to refund all related application fees.
Legislation came into effect Oct. 17, 2018 legalizing production, processing, sale, and use of recreational cannabis in Canada after the federal government approved Bill C‐45.
Mayor Brenda Locke remarked that an “abundance of caution” is important when dealing with controlled substances.
“For me, personally I think that making sure we’re really limiting the number of stores moving forward,” she said. “I think in many ways I’m a bit of a prude, maybe, but it’s unfortunate to me that this is legalized now, but it is, so we have to deal with this issue and I just think however staff can look to do it with, as you say, limiting the number of stores, it is best for our residents.”
The Surrey Board of Trade also weighed in on the plan, noting that if no city-owned land can meet the criteria, Surrey would look into land owned by the provincial government and failing that, will consider private property.
“This framework is going to result in a lengthy implementation timeline,” said Jasroop Gosal, the board’s policy and research manager. “Many cities from across the province allow retail operations to occur on private land, which meet the prudent criteria put in place by the provincial government. The report also doesn’t indicate a timeline for the pilot, initial phase, or future phases.”
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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