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District of North Vancouver starts considering pot shop applications

Nine months after nationwide legalization, the District of North Vancouver is inching closer to allowing its first crop of pot shops.
Cannabis joint

Nine months after nationwide legalization, the District of North Vancouver is inching closer to allowing its first crop of pot shops.

In their last order of business before breaking for the summer, district council unanimously agreed to accept applications for four potential pot shops – one each in Maplewood, Lynn Valley, Lions Gate and Lynn Creek town centres.

After that starter set, council could consider allowing more shops, said Coun. Mathew Bond.

“We can come back and we can amend the bylaw to add more,” he said, explaining there is some concern about proliferation.

“It’s a policy in progress,” said Coun. Lisa Muri, suggesting the district’s stance shouldn’t discriminate between pot shops, pubs and liquor stores.

While she would advocate for a public hearing if a pot proprietor sought to open up shop in a residential neighbourhood, Muri said she would generally waive public hearings for cannabis stores in retail, commercial and light industrial areas.

Pot shops are not permitted within 200 metres of a school.

There are not: “a lot of significant issues in the community” regarding pot shops, Muri said.

Currently, applicants need to submit their plans to the province before applying to the district and undergoing a rezoning process.

Noting entrepreneurs could wait six to eight months for approval from the province, Mayor Mike Little called the process: “Completely unacceptable in the long run.”

Both Muri and Little suggested the procedure could be streamlined for the second generation of applicants.

Council quibbled on how applications would be chosen, with Coun. Jim Hanson arguing in favour of a lottery system and Bond stating his preference for first come, first served.

In West Vancouver, there is not yet a policy or criteria to assess appropriate locations, according to district spokeswoman Donna Powers. Council has no plans to review their policy this fall-winter or in early 2020.

The City of North Vancouver is considering pot shops at Park & Tilford and West First Street after rejecting four other applications.