Pubdate: Fri, 24 Mar 2017
Source: Goldstream Gazette (Victoria, CN BC)
Copyright: 2017 Black Press
Contact:  http://www.goldstreamgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1291
Author: Katherine Engqvist

LANGFORD POT SHOP LIKELY SHUT DOWN FOR GOOD

The City of Langford and the operators of the Green Tree Medical
Dispensary have settled their differences outside of a court room.

Last month the City filed an injunction against the business for
operating in contradiction to municipal bylaws.

"Since that time the folks at Green Tree have obtained the advice of
legal council," said Lorne Fletcher, the city's senior bylaw
enforcement officer. "I would be surprised if they would reopen their
doors at this point."

Instead of contesting the injunction in court, Green Tree has agreed
to a consent order, "which will effectively permanently close Green
Tree from opening in Langford," Fletcher said.

While the consent order hasn't officially been filed - that will
likely happen during the first week of April - it's not likely the
shop will open its doors again before that time. "Our biggest goal was
to have the land-use bylaw acknowledged," Fletcher said.

Those regulations prohibit the sale of marijuana from a municipal
standpoint, but not a criminal one, which is essentially what the
consent order accomplishes.

Attempts to reach Green Tree for comment were unsuccessful by the
Gazette's deadline. The order also requires that Green Tree settle all
outstanding fines with the City.

Every day the shop was open at the Granderson Road location, Langford
bylaw officers ticketed the dispensary for operating without a
business licence and for a lack of permits relating to signage.

Collectively, the shop was only open for about a week and accumulated
roughly $1,200 in fines. Three of those days were also interrupted by
the West Shore RCMP, whose officers were conducting separate criminal
investigations into the operation.

In response to the injunction, Fletcher noted, the City has received a
significant response from the community in support of council's actions.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt