Rules and regulations for cannabis in Whitecourt

 

Council and administration spoke at length about cannabis during the Monday, July 23 regular meeting at the Forest Interpretive Centre. Focusing on two areas, consumption and sales, the two groups discussed proposed recommendations from administration that would go alongside the provincial regulations.

Director of Community Safety, Doug Tymchyshyn explained the recommendations to council. “What we are suggesting is something like the provincial regulations on alcohol consumption; not identical to but somewhat similar. We would be recommending that no person be able to smoke or vape cannabis on municipally-controlled roads or road rights-of-ways and that would include developed and undeveloped road allowances, or a municipal sidewalk or pedestrian walkway which includes our developed walking and biking paths and any municipal park. However, we are suggesting that in those municipal parks you may want to consider having a special event/festival permit that would be considered on a case-by-case basis.”

The permits would mean that for an event such as Party in the Park that there could be an area set aside like a beer garden. Councillor Connell asked how it would work for residents that reside in multi-family residences such as condos or apartment buildings. “If you’re talking about a condo board then that’s private property and the board could set its own rules and regulations of consumption of cannabis on their property. Another example is a hotel. Provincially, you cannot consume it at a hotel, but you could consume it in the parking lot providing that hotel owner didn’t prohibit it in his own parking lot. All public property would be prohibited for consumption if you adopted our recommendations.”

Mayor Chichak asked that the public be patient and said they will do their best to address concerns as they arise and change bylaws when needed. “That’s the whole reason we will be having an open house in September is to talk with residents and go through the first reading of the bylaw. We want to make sure we are addressing most peoples’ concerns. We don’t know if we have it right and, honestly, when you bring in new legislation you aren’t going to know if it’s right until it’s been there a little while and then you start making changes to it. I think you will see a few complaints come in from neighbours for the smell regularly wafting in from other people’s yards.”

Mayor Chichak said she hopes to see a big turnout at the open house. “It’s the face-to-face participation that we want to see most, not only the comments on social media. Coming in and having a conversation with us so that we can listen to your concerns and have that two-way dialogue with you, that’s important. Complaining after the fact doesn’t do you any good and it definitely doesn’t do us any good because a decision is made based on what we hear.”

When it came to discussing cannabis sales, Councillor Hilts was the lone member of council to disagree and vote against the motion which is to allow a more open market. He felt it needed to be more controlled and didn’t like the idea that it could be like liquor stores in Whitecourt. “Nothing against the liquor stores or the proprietors of that but we do have a lot of liquor stores in town and just because the market bears that number doesn’t exactly mean good stewardship to me. So, maybe we should look at it differently and maybe we should have licensing in place and maybe we should control the number of licenses. It would still make it a competitive market and maybe the town can benefit from that in terms of formal proposals from business owners. I just think that maybe there is a different way to look at this issue that we haven’t done in the community before. Stewardship should prevail over free market approach to this.”

Mayor Chichak said she foresees busy enforcement and bylaw officers in the coming months following the legalization and that she knows policies and bylaws put forward by communities across the county will be experimental. “I think education is really key and working with the public as we become more familiar with the whole situation. Legalization is something new for everyone including residents, businesses, elected officials, and law enforcement so just like prohibition or when our smoking bylaws came into place, we will have trials and tribulations in the same way.” A date for the open house has not yet been picked but it will take place in September.