Proposed Burlington Cannabis Store on Guelph Line Open for Comments Until Nov. 14

Cannabis
Written By

Commenting is now open for a proposed cannabis store in Burlington, The Hunny Pot, at 1505 Guelph Line, Units 3-4. The closing date for comments is Nov. 14, 2019.Anyone can provide comments on a proposed location to the Province's Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The City of Burlington will be submitting comments stating that we do not support the location of this particular store as it does not conform to the set of municipal cannabis retail store guidelines and criteria for preferred locations and other considerations regarding cannabis stores Burlington City Council approved on May 27, 2019.It also doesn't conform to the resolution that was brought forward by the subcommittee of the Large Urban Mayors Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO) that I sit on with three other mayors – two from jurisdictions that do not allow cannabis stores, and two that do. That resolution recommended changes to provincial regulations to give municipalities greater control over locations and proliferation of stores and was approved by LUMCO and forwarded to the province.Retail cannabis stores in our city must be more than 150 metres from any school, as per Provincial mandate. In addition to that the LUMCO resolution and criteria/guidelines passed by Burlington Council both state that a store should strive to maintain a minimum 500 metres buffer distance from sensitive land uses, such as schools.The 1505 Guelph Line location is approximately 270 m from M.M. Robinson High School.While we will be submitting comments to the Province that we do not approve of this location, we don't have the authority to dictate where a store will ultimately be located — that decision rests with the AGCO.To submit comments on this cannabis store location, visit https://www.iagco.agco.ca/prod/pub/en/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=PublicNoticeSearch and select 'Cannabis' in the Category bar and 'Cannabis Retail Store Authorization' from the Type: bar, and click 'Search'. A list of locations will appear — click the 'File Objection / Submission' button for the Burlington store from the list of locations.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.

I and City staff have met with owners of The Hunny Pot and we conveyed to them that we would not be supportive of that location. I will also be speaking with our Burlington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) and asking them to put together a list of appropriate locations that also meet the needs of cannabis stores, such as the necessary land size for a store.If you are a cannabis business that is looking to locate in Burlington, we welcome you and ask that you comply with our guidelines. In the short-term, please contact Burlington Ec Dev and they can help you find a suitable location in our city.MY TAKE:After much public feedback and debate, the City of Burlington opted in to permitting retail cannabis stores earlier this year, and we consider them a legitimate part of our business community.  While we learn from the launch of this new industry and watch it evolve, we have established our own local guidelines for where we would like to see the locations of these stores and their proximity to sensitive land uses, one of which is being 500 metres away from any school.  The Hunny Pot does not meet that requirement and we will therefore not be supporting it in our comments to the AGCO.— Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed WardRELATED LINKS:

--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist.

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