Village will follow provincial pot rules

CREMONA - The Village of Cremona will be following provincial rules and regulations regarding cannabis use pending possible related changes to the muncipality's land use bylaw next year, says CAO Luana Smith.

Recreational cannabis use is scheduled to become legal in Canada on Oct. 17. At that time municipalities can implement land use bylaw amendments regarding consumption.

“If you don’t have it laid out in your own bylaw, then you have to follow the standards that the provincial and federal government has laid out,” Smith told the Gazette. “We will just default to those standards until we do our own (regulations regarding consumption).

“I’m planning to move forward with that next year. I have to do a big land use bylaw review so I’m just going to do it at that time. And we are waiting to see what transpires with other municipalities once it is made legal.”

The province has already outlined rules and regulations governing where cannabis can and cannot be consumed.

Under those rules, adults will be allowed to consume cannabis in homes and in some public spaces where smoking tobacco is allowed, but use will be banned in cars.

For municipalities that do not have specific bylaws in place regarding cannabis use, the provincial rules state that smoking or vaping of cannabis is prohibited in any place where tobacco is currently restricted.

Those public spaces specifically include any hospital, school or child care facility property, any playground, any sports or playing field, any skateboard or bicycle park, any zoo, any outdoor theatre, any outdoor pool or splash pad, and from any motor vehicle with the exception of those vehicles being used as a temporary residence such as a parked recreational vehicle.

The consumption of cannabis will also be prohibited at any cannabis retail outlet.

Under the federal legislation, adults will be able to grow up to four plants per household from seeds purchased from licensed cannabis retailers.

Renters, condo-dwellers and those who live in multi-family dwellings may be restricted from growing cannabis in their homes based on rules established in rental agreements or condominium bylaws.