Commission quickly OKs pot stores

By Collin Gallant on August 23, 2018.

Wednesday's meeting of the municipal planning commission featured a large crowd as the first nine development permits for retail cannabis store were approved. Applicants can now apply for building permits and provincial licences to sell the newly legalized drug on Oct. 17.--NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com @CollinGallant

More than a dozen potential cannabis retailers crammed into a city hall board room Wednesday afternoon as the Medicine Hat municipal planning commission approved nine locations where the substance can be sold this autumn.

Development permits were approved unanimously and without discussion. After a brief question-and-answer session between applicants and planners about next steps, they marched to the planning counter to fill out more paper work needed for provincial licences that still need to be processed.

Local man Keith Ahlm, who hopes to start up Westside Weed, an independent shop at 914 S. Railway St., has been navigating the process since the early spring.

“The biggest thing is to have municipal approvals done before AGLC signs off on anything, so having it pre-approved is really helpful,” said Ahlm after the meeting.

“It’s very exciting. We hope to open the stores on Oct. 17. My wife and I don’t expect to get rich, and we’re not counting on becoming millionaires. It’s an opportunity to go into business for ourselves. You can see there’s a lot of competition, but we’re hoping for the best.”

He and other applicants will be able to apply this week for temporary business licences, which officials hope will satisfy provincial regulators still evaluating applications.

With development permits approved, building permits can be issued, then inspections and occupancy certificates can be let.

Wednesday’s approvals had a number of local names attached, several numbered corporations and several others with addresses listed in Spruce Grove, Edmonton and British Columbia.

Another is from Paula Doyle-Weigel, a local nurse who operates a medical marijuana dispensary with her husband.

She plans it to open a retail outlet for recreational users at 547 Second St. SE, with a similar goal of advising her customers about the substance’s medicinal benefits.

“We hope to help people,” she said. “That’s why we opened the dispensary. We’re hoping to be medical, and with recreational use are still helping people.”

The list does not appear to include large conglomerate retailers who have signalled they will move into the sector. As well, none of the addresses are in large, high-rent, high visibility regional shopping centres, but those could be coming.

City council approved a list of areas in Medicine Hat where retail shops would be suitable in late July, and city planning manager Kent Snyder said applications began coming in shortly thereafter.

Reports have suggested as many as 20 licence applications with the AGLC have Medicine Hat locations listed, but Snyder expects fewer final applications for what’s a discretionary land use.

A second batch will be forwarded to the planning commission’s next meeting in early September, he said, but he didn’t yet know the number.

Coun. Darren Hirsch, who sits on the commission, says a lot of work has been done to get to this point, wishing the applicants well.

“I know this seems like a rubber stamp today,” he told the crowd. “But a lot of hard work has gone into all the applications (processing) and that needs to be recognized. We’re entering a new horizon. It’s new for all of us.”

After Wednesday’s matters, city chief building inspector Elgin Mann said due to an apparent catch-22, municipal approval is required for provincial licensing and provincial licensing required to obtain city permits.

“You can occupy the space, set up shelves, but you can’t run the business until it’s legal,” he said.