Application for Ninth Cannabis Retail Store in Burlington Received by AGCO: Written Comments due to Province by June 10
*Please see a media release issued by the City of Burlington below.Burlington, Ont. — May 28, 2020 — The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has received an application for a ninth cannabis retail store in Burlington called The Spot Cannabis. The proposed location at 3247 Appleby Line Unit 3-4 is now up for public comment.Written comments about the proposed location will be received by the AGCO until Wednesday, June 10, 2020 and may be submitted online at www.agco.ca/iAGCO. The AGCO will accept submissions from:
- A resident of the municipality in which the proposed store is located
- The municipality representing the area in which the proposed store is located and/or its upper-tier municipality.
Comments submitted to the AGCO should relate to the following matters of public interest:
- Protecting public health and safety
- Protecting youth and restricting their access to cannabis
- Preventing illicit activities in relation to cannabis
After June 10, the AGCO will consider all written comments and available information to decide whether the application for the proposed store location will be approved.Currently there are eight licensed cannabis retail stores in Burlington, including three approved since the ACGO moved to an open licensing system for cannabis retail store applications earlier this year. The eight stores include:
| Relm Cannabis Co. | 4031 Fairview St., Ste. 103 |
| Corner Cannabis | 3007 New St. |
| The Hunny Pot Cannabis Co. | 1505 Guelph Line, Unit 3-4 |
| Friendly Stranger Plains Road | 1025 and 1059 Plains Rd. E., Unit 3 |
| Pioneer Cannabis Co. | 1200 Brant St., Unit B-004 |
| mihi | 3500 Dundas St., Unit A1B |
| Canna Cabana Burlington | 2400 Guelph Line, Unit 2 |
| Welcome Cannabis | 1401 Plains Rd., Unit 5 |
QUICK FACTS:
- On Jan. 14, 2019, Burlington City Council voted to allow the operation of retail cannabis stores in Burlington
- On Apr. 1, 2019, the first round of brick and mortar, privately-operated retail cannabis stores opened across the province
- The AGCO is licensing and enforcing regulations related to retail cannabis stores in Ontario
- The ACGO introduced an open licensing system for cannabis retail stores in January 2020. On March 2, 2020, the ACGO began accepting store authorization applications.
- The provincial requirement for a cannabis retail store is 150 metres from schools (as defined by the Education Act), as per the provincial regulations. The City of Burlington guideline for a cannabis retail store is 500 metres from schools
MAYOR MEED WARD'S TAKE:The majority of the locations of cannabis stores that have popped up in Burlington, including this latest one, meet our City guidelines for where we’d like to see these shops. Burlington was one of the first municipalities to embrace this new form of business and working to make sure these stores are located where they can offer safe access to a legal substance to anyone legally allowed to purchase it is important for our community.FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION:Q: I smell marijuana smoke from my neighbour's yard and can’t enjoy my own yard. What can the City do? Does the nuisance bylaw apply?A: The use/consumption of cannabis is not regulated under Municipal Law or under the City’s Municipal Law Enforcement Officers authority.Smoking or Vaping is regulated and enforced by the Halton Region Health Department as they have the authority to enforce the Smoke Free Ontario Act and Halton Regional Police Service enforce the Cannabis Control Act for any growing or using of cannabis.The word nuisance and its definition within the City’s Nuisance and Noise Control By-law is broad, however, when the term nuisance is used in the Nuisance and Noise Control By-law in its relation to Section 4 only, it compasses and captures lighting, noise and vibrations only and does not include the noxious smell of marijuana.BYLAW: Noise and Nuisance Control By-law 19-2003 Nuisances
- No person shall cause a nuisance within the City of Burlington without limiting the generality of the foregoing:
- (1) No strong light or moving or twinkling lights shall be used so that an unusual quantity or type of light shines upon the land of others so as to be or to cause a nuisance to the public generally or to others residing or carrying on a manufacture, trade or business in the vicinity.
- (2) No noise or vibrations shall be made, caused or created so as to be heard or felt or otherwise perceived outside the property and which are, in the view of all the circumstances including the nature of the neighborhood and the use to which adjoining properties are put and the time of day during which such noise or vibrations are made, caused or created excessive or which are, or may cause a nuisance to the public generally or to others residing or carrying on a manufacture, trade or business in the vicinity.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
- Application for 8th Cannabis Retail Store in Burlington Received by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario
- For more information about legal cannabis and the City of Burlington, visit burlington.ca/cannabis.
- For more information about legal cannabis in Ontario, visit ontario.ca/cannabis
- For the status of current Cannabis Retail Store Applications in Ontario, visit agco.ca/status-current-cannabis-retail-store-applications
--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist