With federal legalization of marijuana sales expected in July, city hall is asking the public what it should look like in the City of Penticton.
Because this is a substantial changer for the entire city, engagement specialist JoAnne Kleb said they will be trying to include as many people as possible.
That includes consulting with groups like the RCMP, Interior Health and the business community along with engaging youth: local high schools and the YES project.
“Our plan is to keep the community informed throughout and give them as many opportunities as possible,” said Kleb.
Some of the questions they want answered include whether to prohibit or allow retail stores for cannabis sales; number of retail stores, locations and distances from each other, schools, etc.; operations and appearance including hours and security and restrictions on public consumption.
The first phase of consultation takes place through April and May. In May or June, the results will be shared and brought back to council, with another opportunity for the community to comment.
Draft regulations will be revised over June and July, then be brought back to council sometime in July or August.
Coun. Tarik Sayeed questioned whether the city would be getting any share of the tax collected to help pay for the costs of implementing regulations and enforcement.
“We are going to be investigating opportunities for profit sharing,” said planning manager Blake Laven. “But as for taxes, I don’t think the federal government or provincial has interest in sharing on a local level.”
Coun. Campbell Watt also wondered if there could be municipal taxes on marijuana sales.
“Charging our tax on sales might make sense, since we will be on hook for some of the support,” said Watt.
Coun. Helena Konanz said there are two Southern Interior Local Government Association resolutions advocating for the province to share revenue.
“This is going to be costly for us in so many ways, including enforcement, bylaw and RCMP,” said Konanz.
Watt also wondered about zoning to limit locations where the shops could locate.
“I think we have to go out to the public and see what the regulations should be,” said Laven, adding that zoning and other planning will come after more basic questions are answered.
“If there is going to be a cap of three or five stores, how do you decide? We’ve talked about lotteries,” said Laven, adding they city wants to ensure they get reliable operators.