Council defeats pot shop proposed on 35t

Council votes against pot shop on 35th street

May 13, 2019 | 9:42 PM

A proposed pot shop on 35th street will not be open for business any time soon.

Council voted against providing a positive recommendation for the shop’s application to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch at Monday’s city council meeting.

City staff said the application received the most feedback out of all 14 cannabis retail store applications that have gone before council thus far.

The application on 35th Street was the subject of significant opposition with eight negative responses and a signed 43 person petition that was delivered to the city.

#Breaking Council has voted not to provide a positive recommendation to a cannabis shop located on 2813A 35th street. The proposed shop garnered a 43 signature petition against the shop and 8 negative responses #VernonBC

— Tiffany Goodwein (@CityNewsTiffany) May 14, 2019

Missing person

Public asked for assistance locating missing youth

Jun 17, 2026

Policing

RCMP searching for missing Vernon woman

Jun 17, 2026

Underused Facility

Local MP calls for Vernon cadet camp be used for Armed Forces expansion

Jun 17, 2026

The petition was sent by the Vernon Pensioner’s Accommodation Society, on behalf of tenants who were concerned about the location of the store.

“Tenants are concerned that this will bring more of the street people hanging around this area and, they feel we already have enough. It scares them, and this is just too close to home for them. Some of our tenants have been mugged, held at knife point, followed and they’re just plain fed up with it. They say we have enough problems here without adding to it,” the letter reads.

Concerns regarding smells, and the retail store’s proximity to places that are popular with children were also mentioned in the letter.

The location of the pot shop is steps away from Teeter Totter Toys and the NONA Child Development Center.

“The tenants feel that this is not a good location at all with so many seniors ‘buildings around that area plus the NONA building which is full of kids.’ It’s bad enough to have the stores downtown but why bring a store so close to apartment buildings. Keep the stores away from homes,” the letter said.

Alice Heward organized the petition and said that council’s decision not to go through with the pot shop is positive news for the neighborhood.

Alice Heward organized a petition against the proposed pot shop on 35th Street. Here she is reacting to the news that Council voted against the cannabis retail store at their meeting on Monday #VernonBC pic.twitter.com/t2Hx8LSyTq

— Tiffany Goodwein (@CityNewsTiffany) May 14, 2019

“I am so glad that they did that because lots of times the little people don’t get heard really, and I just felt that they weren’t doing enough, and a lot of people that are in this building will be very grateful for that,” said Heward.

At Monday’s Council meeting, city councillor Scott Anderson spoke against supporting the pot shop because of the level of opposition from nearby residents.

“I’m going to vote against this,” said Anderson

“A lot of the feedback we got was negative, we don’t know if whether the upstairs is occupied or not….I just don’t think it is a good idea to start off like this,” he said.

Councillor Kari Gares, and Mayor Victor Cumming also voted against supporting the pot shop.