Photo: Contributed
Regional district officials have put the brakes on a proposed cannabis facility and a new cannabis bylaw in the Lumby and Cherryville areas.
Regional District of North Okanagan chairperson and Lumby Mayor Kevin Acton said the regional district is in uncharted territory when it comes to cannabis, so the board decided to slow down on making any decisions without more information and more public input.
The issues are the Green Amber cannabis facility near Schafer Road and a bylaw that would determine where marijuana can be grown.
Acton said the decision to defer to the Agricultural Land Commission on allowing Green Amber to build a 100,000-square-foot facility on farmland was deferred.
Residents from Electoral areas D and E—Lumby and Cherryville—were at the meeting to protest the proposed project. While they were not allowed to speak at Wednesday’s meeting, some had earlier expressed concerns over water supply.
Acton said that was one of the reasons why the deferment was made, adding staff has been directed to look at the water supply and any possible impact it may have on area residents.
Staff was also asked to look into the building design, buffers and other aspects of the facility.
“No decisions have been made yet and we are waiting for the proponent to come back with more information before it is back on the agenda,” said Acton.
Trish Cory, who owns a property across from the proposed industry, is concerned about the effects on the neighbourhood.
“We have no problem with cannabis, but we have a problem with 100,000-square-foot paved buildings surrounded by chain link fencing. There will also be loads of traffic and trucks transporting high-value products. If a robbery occurs the police could take 45 minutes to get there for they often have to come from Vernon. This puts the kids that live, walk and ride their bikes on the road at risk. The effect on property values has already been painful. We want this to go where it belongs, in an industrial park,” said Cory, who was among some 30 protesters who attended the meeting.
Acton said the board also halted a bylaw on where pot can be grown on Electoral areas D and E.
The bylaw was scheduled for a third reading Wednesday to allow processing and growing within the regional district has been returned to a first reading so another public information session can be held.
“There seems to be a lot of public interest in the bylaw,” Acton said, adding people will have a chance to provide more input on the bylaw. “We want to make sure the process isn’t flawed and we are doing things right. We want to make sure the community has been consulted.”
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