By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: July 07, 2013 1:00 AM
Local officials are scrambling over the potential management of industrial marijuana planations. The Regional District of North Okanagan is attempting
to understand its role under proposed federal rules that would see
medicinal marijuana operations shift from homes to commercial settings
in 2014. “These aren’t just little fields of green plants. We’re
looking at how to manage the impact,” Rob Smailes, general manager of
planning and building, told electoral area directors Thursday. “A lot of people are scratching their heads about this.
We are responsible for regulating land use and buildings and this is
being dropped right down in the middle of that.” B.C.’s Agricultural Land Commission has indicated that
such operations will be considered a farm use within the Agricultural
Land Reserve. Outside of the ALR, they will have to be in industrial
zones. Smailes believes the regional district may have to
reconsider what is permitted in terms of farm buildings as marijuana
plantations may include concrete or brick structures. “There will be strict security requirements and they
will have to notify local government, the RCMP and the fire departments
about their locations whereas they didn’t have to do that before,” he
said. RDNO staff continue to review the federal policy and the implications for planning issues in the five electoral areas. “We have some already and we’re getting complaints about things like odour,” said Smailes. The federal government announced a new strategy for medicinal marijuana in June. “While the courts have said that there must be
reasonable access to a legal source of marijuana for medical purposes,
we believe that this must be done in a controlled fashion in order to
protect public safety,” said Leona Aglukkaq, health minister. “These changes will strengthen the safety of
Canadian communities, while making sure patients can access what they
need to treat serious illnesses.” Health Canada reports that the number of people
authorized to grow medicinal marijuana in the country has gone from 500
to 30,000 since 2001. “This rapid increase has had unintended
consequences for public health, safety and security as a result of
allowing individuals to produce marijuana in their homes,” states a
Health Canada release. “Under the new regulations, production will no longer
take place in homes and municipal zoning laws will need to be respected,
which will further enhance public safety.”
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By Editorial - Vernon Morning Star Published: July 07, 2013 1:00 AM
It’s obvious the federal government isn’t worried about communication. It was in June that Health Canada announced new
policies regarding medicinal marijuana and that plants would no longer
be grown in residential settings. Instead, industrialization of the
process will take place. However, local authorities such as the Regional
District of North Okanagan still don’t know what implications the new
policy will have on them and their responsibilities for land use and
ensuring buildings meet code. “A lot of people are scratching their heads about this,” said Rob Smailes, RDNO’s general manager of planning and building. And during a conference call with other local and
provincial jurisdictions Thursday, it was clear that RDNO isn’t the only
one unsure of its role. The concerns are valid as these large-scale operations
have the potential to be unlike anything local authorities have had to
approve before. It’s anticipated they will be concrete or brick to
ensure security and will follow different designs than a barn. For
areas outside of the Agricultural Land Reserve, communities will have to
determine if industrial zoning is in place. Many issues that have
arisen with residential marijuana-grow sites will continue as well,
including odour from chemicals and the potential fire risk such
materials can create. With 2014 just around the corner and Ottawa bent on
implementing its new rules, now is the time for the federal government
to sit down with local authorities and discuss what its expectations
are. After all, it will be local communities dealing with any fallout.
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http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2001-227/index.html
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