Ucluelet’s municipal council remains unsure how to handle Canada’s expected legalization of cannabis this summer.
During their Feb. 27 regular meeting, council heard a presentation from Markus Knab of Parksville who asked for a business licence to open a dispensary in town.
“We would like to basically supply your community with a place to go, where they can find out about how to use marijuana in a good, medical way; in a clean and comfortable environment to actually talk to people about what to do and how to do it,” Knab explained.
“Our goal is basically to bring in speakers and have public meetings wherever we are allowed to have them, to educate on how to use marijuana properly…Yes, we’re in business to make money, but our main concern and goal is to educate people in the community and hopefully help some people have less pain.”
Knab added he’s a frequent visitor of Ucluelet and would like to establish a local business.
“We would like to be part of the community and work with the council on what location you would prefer,” he said. “We’re ready to start whenever you’re ready.”
Mayor Dianne St. Jacques thanked Knabb for his presentation but said council isn’t ready to accept cannabis related businesses.
“I’m afraid we haven’t determined yet if and where the cannabis retail is going to belong in the community or not,” she said. “But, we’re certainly actively looking into the legal framework that’s coming forward and we’ll be consulting with the public through our [Official Community Plan] process before adopting regulations.”
Knab responded by suggesting cannabis is already in the community.
“Basically marijuana is already in the community. It’s just in the back alleys instead of a storefront,” he said. “We’re just trying to actually pay taxes on it and actually give education to go with it.”
Neighbouring Tofino is also still trying to sort out what to do and is hosting an open house on Tuesday to engage with the public and hash out a cannabis legalization strategy.