Two local residents gave sharply different opinions about cannabis at a public hearing on Monday. (Richard McGuire photo)
Sharply different views were expressed to council about the proposal to amend the town’s zoning bylaw to allow the sale of cannabis in Osoyoos.
Town Council held a public hearing at Sonora Community Centre Monday evening where the public had the opportunity to state their views or concerns.
Sylvia Treptow said that she hoped to change the direction that council was going with regards to the sale of cannabis in Osoyoos.
“Are we going to be overrun?” Treptow asked, as she expressed concern with the number of individuals who have already applied for applications to run cannabis shops in town.
Treptow argued that council should consider putting a cap on the number of cannabis shops allowed to operate in Osoyoos until the applicants “prove to us that they are going to be law-abiding citizens.”
She compared the bylaw to a “free-for-all” and said she would prefer if there were only one government-run store in town, “or better yet, zero…but hey, I recognize that some people feel they can’t manage to muddle through their lives without this drug so fine, at least one shop.”
Treptow ended by referencing the Town of Osoyoos Good Neighbour bylaw, which regulates “nuisances, disturbances and other activities…or other objectionable situations or that do not protect or enhance the well-being of the community.”
She said that failure to protect businesses and their customers from the smell of marijuana coming from adjoining cannabis shops directly contradicted it.
After she finished speaking, Counsellor Mike Campol asked Treptow if she was familiar with the process set forth by the provincial government for obtaining a permit to operate a cannabis shop.
She responded by saying: “I read it and to date it seems like nobody is enforcing any laws in this country concerning the cannabis. How can we have confidence that the provincial government is going to control this as well?”
Bobbie Fischer’s statement was in stark contrast to Treptow’s.
She began by saying that she thinks her property value will go up as a result of cannabis being sold in Osoyoos.
“It’s a fabulous opportunity for Osoyoos to diversify away from wineries and grapes and have another industry which is more educational,” she said.
Fischer talked about the many uses for cannabis and how it had once been a major crop in the United States and in other parts of the world. She said she welcomed the opportunity to teach people about its history and the “remarkable uses of it.”
She ended by reiterating how supportive she is of Osoyoos having privately run cannabis shops.
Two other members of the public briefly asked questions, after which Mayor Sue McKortoff adjourned the hearing.
Council is expected to consider third reading of the bylaw at a special open meeting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 9.
The bylaw will allow provincially licensed, privately operated recreational cannabis retail outlets in commercial zones C1, C2 and C3 on a site-specific basis.
MICHELE WEISZ
Osoyoos Times
