20 CANNABIS permits nfrom pg 19


was “more info on water and a public meeting.” ALR rules curbing proposals


Kelowna’s community planning department manager Ryan Smith said a number of cannabis production facilities have been approved on industrial land within the city but it has no such proposals within the ALR. He says the province’s new regulation likely curbed such plans. “It’s made it more difficult,


and that’s probably a good thing,” Smith says. With the value of


agricultural land much lower than industrial land, Smith has concerns that any loopholes for establishing these facilities in the ALR would be destructive for the local tree fruit industry. “I think there’s room to


work together if cannabis is on industrial land,” he adds. Regional District of


Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) planning supervisor Christopher Garrish says one of the two proposed production facilities in the ALR within his regional district has a building permit for a foundation while the other has yet to get a building permit. “They are aware of the


ALC’s requirements and one of them has amended their plans accordingly,” he said. “The other one has not yet submitted for a building permit so I am not sure how they are going to address the requirement for the soil floor.” ALC director of policy and


planning Martin Collins said the commission has yet to consider an application for a recreational cannabis production facility but sees them going into two streams: those with concrete bases requiring a non-farm use and those with soil bases. He has concerns about


proposals that veer away from a greenhouse concept. “I would think the commission would be fairly sympathetic to a greenhouse type, concrete base facility and less sympathetic to a dark facility…a facility with no translucent roof or walls,” he explains. “I don’t think they’d be supportive of just maintaining properties for agricultural use in the long term because inevitably many will fail. And when they fail, what will happen to those buildings? One hundred thousand to a million square feet? Nothing agricultural is ever going to happen in them.” Collins also questions the


viability of growing cannabis with a soil base when mould, mildew and bugs are a constant concern with such a crop. “This idea to try and design


their way out of the regulations may be a bit of a problem. I’m not sure if they can realistically grow in the kind of facility the regulation demands,” he notes.


Greenhouse conversions While the ALC does have a


few such applications in the queue from more rural regions like the RDNO, Collins


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JANUARY 2019


An aerial map shows where Green Amber (Canada) Corp plans to create a 100,000 square foot cannabis operation. The development is getting pushback from area residents. RDNO PHOTO


sees the majority of such facilities being established in already-licensed medical cannabis operations and crop greenhouses converted to grow marijuana in areas like the Fraser Valley where it won’t result in too much conflict (the use of pre- existing crop structures does not require ALC approval). “That’s probably where most of the actual real production is going to take place,” he says. “But if you’re in an area that’s all forested and somebody clears 40 acres and puts up 250,000 square feet of industrial building, that would get people pretty excited.”


Smailes expects to hear from neighbouring property


owners when these proposals arise but, as a farm use, cannabis facilities do not require a public hearing, only ALC approval. However, the regulations has raised questions. “As a result, that creates


uncertainty and it certainly means conflict,” he says. In fact, neighbours upset with the Green Amber proposal attended the RAAC meeting and an online petition to quash the project started soon after the meeting. It has attracted more than 350 signatures. Cannabis legislation has not demanded excessive staff time at the RDOS, Garrish says, but West Kelowna has a ‘go-to’ person in the planning


department for such information. RDNO employs a planning staff member full- time on cannabis inquiries and applications. “We’ve spent an inordinate amount of time and money and resources on this,” adds Smailes. “There’s a lot of activity around us. We’re calling it the new green rush.” Smailes expects greater


clarity once the initial proposals are processed and proponents better understand the requirements. “We’ll see if the [RDNO]


board decides to send the proposals on to the [ALC] for their decision or not and, if they do, what the commission does,” he says. “That first one will sort of be the test.”


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