During its June 15 Regular Meeting, Penticton City Council endorsed a recommendation from staff to proceed with a “two year” review of the Cannabis Retail Sales Policy and also voted - by a separate motion - to immediately extend retail store hours to 11pm, during the review process.
Approved in 2019, the policy lays out the process by which prospective cannabis retailers can obtain local government support for their provincial licensing application. To date nine businesses, including the Province’s BC Cannabis Store, have worked through the process.
“All things considered, Penticton’s experience with cannabis stores, the process by which they’ve been approved and the public’s feedback concerning their operation once open, has been mostly issue free,” said the City’s Director of Development Services, Blake Laven. “A good portion of this success can be attributed to the City’s comprehensive community engagement process that heard from a wide range of public and business perspectives prior to the Cannabis Retail Sales Policy going into effect in 2019. To follow through on the expectation to review the policy two year’s later, it’s now time to officially determine through a focused follow-up engagement effort if the policy is meeting community and business needs.”
To receive feedback, the City will approach properties neighbouring cannabis shops, cannabis retailers and business stakeholders like the Downtown Penticton Association and the Chamber. Specific information being sought will include: the experience of living or operating a business in close proximity to a cannabis store, opportunities for extending hours of operation, the look and feel of local stores and feedback on the 14 store cap that’s currently in place.
“This is a great opportunity to double check and, if needed, revisit some of the thinking and assumptions that helped inform the policy two years ago,” said Penticton Mayor, John Vassilaki. “I encourage all neighbours, retailers and stakeholders to follow-up on the City’s call for feedback and share their thoughts.”