Skip to content

Fate of medical marijuana facility in city council’s hands

A medical marijuana facility could soon be operating within the city’s borders.
WEB-RDA-Local-Medical-Marijuana-Application-PIC
The City of Red Deer Planning Department has received an application from Medcan Solutions Limited to develop this existing building at 94 Burnt Park Drive into a federally licensed medical marijuana growing facility.

A medical marijuana facility could soon be operating within the city’s borders.

Medcan Solutions Limited wants to turn a vacant building at 94 Burnt Park Drive into a medical weed facility.

It would be federally regulated and licensed.

Council will consider a land-use bylaw amendment that would allow the medical marijuana production facility to operate as a site exception after Red Deer’s planning commission supported the move on Wednesday. The company did not attend the meeting.

Should council approve the amendment, it would permit the facility as a discretionary use for the 94 Burnt Park Drive property only.

Council will consider first reading of the bylaw amendment on July 4.

The commission had questions over increased traffic, federal regulations enforcement, fire, odour and environmental assessments.

But the commission reasoned the planning department has done its research and felt confident forwarding the application onto city council.

The commission heard there will be one shipment of marijuana leaving the facility each day with six to 10 working daily at the site. Signage, advertising or retail sales will not be allowed.

Commission member Gary L’Hirondelle questioned the regulatory enforcement by the federal government.

Health Canada has developed strict regulations around location, security, growing method including air quality controls for odour, storing, disposing and transporting marijuana.

The planning department received eight written responses to the application. One respondent had no concerns while the other seven had concerns around odour control, security/safety, waste disposal, increased criminal activity and other issues.

This is the first application since the city added a definition of medical marijuana facility to its land-use bylaws in 2014.

There is a medical marijuana facility, north of Cremona, which has been operational since January. The Town of Olds approved a medical marijuana facility in 2014 but have not received a development permit application for the facility.

crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com