By Adam Donnelly

Kamloops cannabis retailers still waiting on province for approval

Jan 22, 2019 | 4:15 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s been over three months since the legalization of cannabis across Canada, and here in British Columbia, only seven private retail cannabis stores have been approved by the province.

With seven applications in Kamloops pending, and two more on the agenda at Jan. 29’s city council, CFJC Today spoke with the city’s business licence inspector to find out more about the delay in retail cannabis store openings.

On Oct. 17, Kamloops was home to the only retail storefront where consumers could go to buy legal cannabis in the province. In the three months since then, it remains the only government cannabis store in BC, while only seven private cannabis retail stores have been approved.

“The process is quite extensive. The biggest thing is obviously making the application to the province,” Dave Jones, Business Licence Inspector & Property Use Coordinator with the city explained. “They’re doing their fit and financial proper checks, so that’s very timely.”

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: North Shore BIA working hard to develop a 'happening place'

1h ago

1000 Ways to Heal

1000 Ways to Heal: Moons

Dec 10, 2024

Question of the Week

Should Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson apologize or resign after it was found he breached a section of council's code of conduct for allowing false or misleading information to be communicated?

Dec 09, 2024

All told in BC, there have been 400 completed cannabis retail store licence applications received by the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Board, which could explain the delay in processing the requests for approval. Here in Kamloops, there are seven outstanding applications, with two more expected to go before council on Jan. 29 — one on Tranquille Road, with the other on Lansdowne Street.

It’s my understanding that one of the private stores that went to council in October has received their conditional approval,” Jones said. “We spoke to the applicant just the other day, he hopes to be open in mid-February.”

Earlier this month, CFJC Today reached out to Attorney General David Eby’s office for an interview regarding the delay in private cannabis retail licencing. The Ministry of the Attorney General responded with an email, containing the following statement:

“Information related to retail cannabis store applications is considered private until a licence is issued. The Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) is not releasing information related to private business matters between applicants and the LCRB.”

City council will hear from the two new applicants at next Tuesday’s council meeting. Jones expects the province to take around six months to review each application they receive to ensure the operations are above board.

“Compared to the good old ways with liquor licensing, that’s about the same timeframe,” Jones explained. “The province is trying to do their due diligence, making sure the people that are going to have these retail stores are the right people to be in business.”

But for now, in a province that at one time was synonymous with cannabis, the options for buying bud in BC are still limited.