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Banff cannabis retail stores still months from approvals

BANFF – Seven applications to open up cannabis stores in Banff have been submitted to the Town of Banff, but the resort community is still a few months away from seeing any open. The deadline for applications to the Town was Nov.
Pot Photo Illustration
One of five cannabis retail locations given the green light by the Town of Banff’s Municipal Planning Commission earlier this year lost its development permit after a successful appeal to the development appeal board.

BANFF – Seven applications to open up cannabis stores in Banff have been submitted to the Town of Banff, but the resort community is still a few months away from seeing any open.

The deadline for applications to the Town was Nov. 30, however, not all applications were deemed complete, so the would-be recreational cannabis retailers have been given two weeks to get it right.

Once the missing information is provided, planning and development staff will do a review to determine if any of the proposed cannabis stores are within the separation requirement of 30 metres, which aims to avoid of cluster of stores.

“Should a conflict exist, then the next step would be a draw to see what order they will be processed,” said Town planner Dave Michaels, noting the draw will be handled by an independent third party.

Following that, all applications will be reviewed to make sure they meet all the rules and regulations, such as the land use bylaw, which is expected to take at least a month.

“It’s likely to be February before we start seeing completed applications reviewed by MPC (Municipal Planning Commission),” said Michaels, noting cannabis retail gets that extra level of review because it’s a discretionary use downtown.

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