By Treena Mielke
An application for a development permit for cannabis retail sales is now under review by Rimbey’s development officer.
Liz Armitage told council at its Tuesday meeting she had received the application for a cannabis retail sales outlet to be located on Main Street in Rimbey.
“Our next step it to review it to make sure it complies with the requirements,” she said.
Under the amended land-use bylaw, cannabis must be sold from a federally approved and licensed facility.
Cannabis stores must be federally approved and licensed. Stores must also be licensed by the Alberta Government and cannot be combined with another use such as a convenience store. However, cannabis stores can occur in a multi-tenant building or as part of a mixed-use development. The operator of a cannabis retail sales outlet must ensure that nuisances, including odor, are addressed to the satisfaction of the development authority.
Stores selling cannabis need to be 100 metres away from schools, provincial health care facilities or emergency shelters. Such a store must also be 100 metres away from any other cannabis store and must not abut a liquor store.
Cannabis production facilities are required to be located in a commercial or industrial area.
A development permit will be issued provided the sales outlets meets all the requirements set out by the land-use bylaw and also meets provincial requirements.
The applicant will need to receive a business license from the town after receiving the development permit before the sale of cannabis can legally begin.
Cannabis is to be legalized throughout Canada next month.