BOWDEN - The Town of Bowden is holding a public hearing on proposed changes to its land use bylaws, including sections dealing with the sale and processing of marijuana, also known as cannabis.
That public hearing is scheduled for June 11 at the town office. It's a chance for residents to learn about the bylaws and provide their input.
Council announced the hearing date after discussing the matter with two Red Deer County planning department employees -- Connie Sloan and Treena Miller.
Communities throughout Alberta are scrambling to be ready when the sale of recreational marijuana becomes legal, possibly later this year.
Mayor Robb Stuart told the Albertan that the town wants to be sure it's ready if -- or when -- someone wants to set up a cannabis-related business in the community. That includes making sure it's in an appropriate location and that its hours and signage are appropriate.
"I've had inquiries sent to me by people saying they'd like to do something with cannabis within our area," he said, however, "they didn't even specify the town (where they wanted to do business)."
"It just said they would like to come and have a discussion. So I brought it to council and they said, 'sure, we'll talk to anybody,"' Stuart said.
Meanwhile, he noted, Red Deer County and Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) officials have been urging communities to make sure they've got bylaws in place in case they do receive applications from cannabis-related firms.
"Counties and the AUMA have been very proactive in trying to tell everybody they'd better have their land use bylaws ready so if, say, somebody wants to come in and put up a marijuana shop, you have everything -- where it can go," Stuart said.
There are issues, he added.
"There are setbacks (mandated) by the province. They can't be within 100 metres of a school," Stuart said. But then you've got to fine-tune those objectives to suit your own (situation) especially in Bowden. If they can't be within 100 metres of a school, that pretty well limits (where they can be)."
Stuart said some Bowden residents would like to see marijuana-related businesses in town and others don't want it there at all.
It's the same across the province, he added.
"Some towns don't want them at all, right? But that's prejudicial," Stuart said. "You can't stop them from having a business there. They have the right under the federal government to sell marijuana.
"Your land use bylaw can stipulate where and what the hours are and all that, but you can't make it too stringent that it prohibits them from that right to have a business.
"I was at a seminar a while ago and the one councillor stood up and said, 'we are not going to have it in our town.'"
One major issue in Bowden during last fall's civic election was the need for more businesses downtown. Stuart acknowledged that, but said the town must retain control over what businesses those are and those businesses must fit in with -- and abide by -- town rules.
"We'll try to help, but you don't just want to open up the downtown core and say, 'build what you want down there.' It's commercial district, it's bound by the zoning," he said.
"So say if somebody wanted to put one downtown there or somewhere, at least you're prepared for it, right? Your hours and your enforcement. Signage is all part of that too."
Stuart noted the Town of Olds has been working hard on the marijuana business file, has attracted some cannabis-processing businesses, and has provided advice to Bowden officials.
