The provincial government will open its first cannabis retail store in the capital region at Uptown shopping centre early next year.
Saanich council gave the green light to the government-run store 鈥� the sixth on Vancouver Island 鈥� after a public hearing that met little resistance this week.
Coun. Colin Plant said the hearing received only three letters, one asking 鈥淲hat took so long?鈥� and the others opposing the general use of cannabis.
Council last month gave its approval for the government store to open on the upper floors at Uptown in units E107 and E109 on Blanshard Street between Whole Foods and Steve Nash Fitness. The hours would be Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The outlet is expected to open some time between January and March.
The fact that few opposed the cannabis store was no surprise, said Plant, adding Saanich is taking 鈥渁 slower and more methodical鈥� approach than Victoria when it comes to allowing cannabis retail outlets.
It is allowing cannabis shops near where beer and wine is already sold, and has developed a policy checklist including statements from police and fire, one cannabis store per site and locations that are not within 200 metres of schools, he said.
鈥淎nd we don鈥檛 want the public to be vehemently opposed to a location or business.鈥�
Such applications would likely have been much more controversial five years ago, he said, but perspectives have changed since recreational cannabis became legal on Oct. 17, 2018.
A government-run cannabis store is late arriving in the region because private stores have been operating in Victoria for many months.
The new sa国际传媒 Cannabis store will mean 鈥�15 good jobs brought into the community,鈥� said Plant, adding it鈥檚 expected to drive more traffic to the top level of Uptown.
There are currently 16 government-run cannabis stores in the province and another nine in planning stages.
