Pubdate: Tue, 29 Jul 2014
Source: Prince George Citizen (CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Prince George Citizen
Contact:  http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/350
Author: Charelle Evelyn
Page: 4

COUNCIL TO TAKE ON NEED FOR WEED

City council is being asked to take a high-minded approach to allowing
future medical marijuana grow operations within city limits.

During Wednesday night's meeting, council will decide whether to move
forward on a recommended bylaw limiting newly licensed weed production
facilities to parcels of land in the Agricultural Land Reserve and in
industrial parks.

Staff have rolled council's directions from a June committee of the
whole meeting into a potential policy that would create a new
narcotics category for greenbelt, agriculture and forestry zones in
the ALR and light, general and business industrial zones -
specifically the BCR, Danson and Boundary Road industrial parks.

Key to the change would be the requirement of a rezoning application
that would be subject to a public hearing for every potential facility.

The bylaw would allow production facilities licenced under Health
Canada's new Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulation on ALR parcels
that are a minimum of 15 hectares, have a minimum front, rear or side
yard setback of 30 metres and an external setback of one kilometre
from any property lines that are zoned for residential or correctional
services use.

While the province has stated these federally licenced operations
wouldn't qualify as farm use on agricultural land for property
assessment purposes, it won't step in to keep weed from growing.

"Consistent with British Columbia government policy, the Minister of
Agriculture does not intend to approve any bylaw that would prohibit
the production of medical marijuana in the ALR," said a letter to the
mayor from Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Coralee
Oakes and Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick.

Those earmarked for the industrial parks would be subject to smaller
internal setbacks but staff are recommending any potential sites
already have the necessary water and sanitary sewer infrastructure in
place and a road network to accommodate employees and transport
deliveries. And there wouldn't be any Breaking Badesque operations
allowed, as changes to the zoning bylaw would specify grow operations
are not allowed in shipping or cargo containers, rail cars, modular
units, campers or any other kind of vehicle.

Existing bylaw definitions of agricultural uses and greenhouse and
plant nurseries would be rewritten to specifically exclude the
production of medical marijuana.
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MAP posted-by: Matt