White Rock has approved one cannabis-related bylaw amendment and moved another forward for a public hearing on July 23.
At this week’s council meeting members amended the city’s public health smoking protection bylaw to include cannabis use in the definition of smoking, making it subject to the same restrictions as tobacco.
Planning and developments services director Carl Johannsen clarified for the record, however, that the draft amendment had also been changed to include a cannabis use specifically prohibited under federal law.
“While in federal and provincial regulations there’s a lot of overlap between tobacco and cannabis consumption… just to be clear, cannabis consumption is not legal in a motor vehicle.”
At the same meeting council also gave first and second readings to a zoning bylaw amendment that would permit operations of a cannabis retail store within the town centre area, bounded by North Bluff Road, George Street, Thrift Avenue and Martin Street under a temporary use permit, provided specific conditions are met.
These include that the store must be a minimum of 100 metres from the entrance of an existing child care centre; a minimum of 1000 metres from any other cannabis store in the city; and a minimum of 30 metres from Bryant Park, Hodgson Park and the planned Town Square Park next to the Coast Capital Playhouse.
Unless it’s a government cannabis retail outlet, the store would also have to a valid license under the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act and would not be able to sell any products until the Cannabis Act comes into force and until it has a city-approved business license.
Also at the July 9 meeting, council gave third and final readings to amendments to the city’s zoning bylaw that had received separate public hearings that evening.
These included a public land uses amendment – which redefined community gardens, farmers markets and special events as acceptable uses with city approval – plus revised regulations governing child care centres and housekeeping; new standards for the number of electrical car-charging stations in new multi-unit developments (one to every 10 off-street parking spaces); redefining short-term rental requirements (including bed and breakfast and vacation rentals) and extending the city’s definitions of ‘licensed establishments’ to include breweries, wineries, distilleries and u-brew and u-vin establishments.