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LETTER: Pot shop not wanted in Dollarton neighbourhood

Dear editor: In response to the Oct.
cannabis

Dear editor:

In response to the Oct. 18 article Pot Shops Lining Up in District of North Vancouver, I urge district council to oppose the application for a zoning bylaw amendment to allow for a non-medical cannabis retail store to open at Dollarton Village at 385 North Dollarton Hwy., to operate seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

This proposed location is situated close to Sherwood Park Elementary and is completely surrounded by residential homes. It is not a commercial area in nature. Families and children walking to and from Sherwood Park utilize the trail network that directly passes by the doors of the proposed pot shop location in Dollarton Village.

Children may be directly exposed to second-hand smoke and other paraphernalia.

Speaking to the mandated minimum buffer of 200 metres that a pot shop should be situated away from a school, the direct distance between the proposed location and Sherwood Park is approximately 300 metres.

This is a mere 100 metres over the recommended minimum buffer. The spirit of such a “geographical buffer” is to create a healthy distance between the sale of controlled substances and exposure to our children and families.

The residents of this community do not appreciate having their children exposed to cannabis on a daily basis.

There is currently a pot shop operating out of Tsleil-Waututh [reserve lands] just under three kilometres away, another proposed to open at 1560 Main St., at six kilometres away, with another at Park & Tilford, seven kilometres away.

Do we really need four pot shops within a seven-kilometre stretch?

The Oct. 18 article sites that council is allowing one pot shop to operate in a given area, referencing Maplewood and other areas, with more being considered on a case-by-case basis.

Please consider this case and say no to amending the zoning bylaw to allow a pot shop to open for business in a primarily residential neighbourhood where homes are located immediately adjacent to its operating doors and an elementary school situated closely by.

[City of North Vancouver] council has approved pot shop locations in commercial areas, like Park & Tilford and Lonsdale. Keep the sales of cannabis where it belongs, in appropriate commercial and light industrial areas.

Jeanette Schisler
Dollarton area

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