City plans for pot shops

Jul 10, 2019 | 5:30 AM

Armstrong is way behind other communities when it comes to developing rules around cannabis stores — but there’s a good reason for that.

Mayor Chris Pieper said they have yet to get a formal application for a pot shop, but he said they are getting some inquiries.

“We are trying to set up a process of what the city is going to do, and what we’re not going to do,” Pieper told Vernon Matters.

Pieper said council is trying to figure how it will work, how the public will be notified, and what information they will provide to prospective applicants.

“We’ve been sort of stalling, waiting to see where everybody else went in the province, but we haven’t got any formal applications yet so it gives us an opportunity to find out what we’re going to do,” he said.

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Council has started mapping out its policy, with plans to allow the stores in commercial zones.

The applicants would have to notify nearby properties and hold a public meeting at their own cost.

“We’re still in the discussion period, but basically any applicant would have to have — and run — a public meeting before the city would entertain the application, and then we would still have to have a public hearing after that,” he said.

The applicant would also have to go through the provincial approval process.

“It’s a long process, but we’re working on way through it slowly and we’ll see where it ends up,” Pieper added.

Pieper isn’t surprised that his city hasn’t had an application yet, saying everyone is watching what happens in other communities.

by Pete McIntyre

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