After more than five years since prohibition ended in Canada and over a year of debate at City Hall, the Surrey City Council has approved a plan to allow up to a dozen dispensaries within the municipality.
The council reached a decision on the matter Monday night. It will begin accepting applications from those interested in setting up shop within Surrey city limits in the coming months.
“The city will have a 60-day application window to receive applications in one or more community areas at a time,” read a motion passed by the council.
Two dispensaries will be permitted in each of the city’s six communities: Whalley (city centre), Cloverdale, Guildford, South Surrey, Newton and Fleetwood. They must be situated over 200 metres from community centres, schools and recreation centres. One of the council members has requested that places of worship be added to that list.
A January survey conducted by the city with over 4,000 participants found that 68 per cent of respondents supported having the stores.
SURREY CANNABIS INDUSTRY
Surrey Cannabis Policy Framework a Positive First Step, Needs Attention to Support Local Cannabis Retailershttps://t.co/T0eLNcOCPu @SBofT @CityofSurrey @SurreyNowLeader @PeaceArchNews @redfmvancouver @CKNW @JanetBrown980 @CBCNews @CTVVancouver pic.twitter.com/A7RVoZ9IVd— Anita Huberman (@anitahuberman) April 9, 2024
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Certain cannabis shops in Vancouver and neighbouring towns like Delta have generated substantial revenue from deliveries going to Surrey. However, due to the council’s decision, those days may be coming to an end.
Once the 12 stores have been set up they will be catering to 600,000 Surrey residents, approximately. Some do not believe this will be sufficient and feel the city will need several more down the road to meet demand.
“While Surrey moving away from being a retail desert five years after legalization is certainly progress, the ratio of one store for 47,000 people is, frankly, ridiculous,” Deepak Anand, well-known cannabis industry figure and Surrey resident, said earlier this year when the store framework was proposed.
Vancouver, the largest municipality in the province, currently has 81 pot shops. Delta has six dispensaries while Langley only has two.
White Rock has one shop with a name that accurately reflects that number: A Little Bud. It was established as a medical dispensary in 2017. Imagine Cannabis Co is Tsawwassen’s only marijuana outlet and Richmond still doesn’t have any.
rowan@mugglehead.com
