Lakeshore council has approved a zoning change to allow for a cannabis production facility in its Patillo Road industrial park, but councillor Steven Wilder says many residents are upset about the plan.
The applicant intends to use the existing 65,000-square-foot building at 417 Jutras Dr. S. with the entire growing operation located indoors.
Wilder had asked for a deferral as nearby residents wanted answers about issues like odour mitigation and light pollution — the deferral was ultimately turned down by council.
Wilder says this is new ground for the town.
"What are the parameters? The odour? The lights? All these things, there were a lot of unknown questions. The opposition from the residents was it's the first of its kind in Lakeshore going into this area, there's nothing else like it around it and they wanted to know more about what's being put in their own backyard," he says.
Wilder says residents were caught off guard by the proposal.
"Not every resident is given personal notification. So through word of mouth some people started to find out and then, ultimately, I heard from a number of residents, one after another, emails and phone calls saying what is going on, it's the first we're hearing about this. There are a lot of concerns," he says.
Wilder feels council is rushing into something without all the information.
"We're not quite certain why there was an objection in giving it another two weeks," he says. "It's not like we're approving a new home or a new shed or a pole barn or something like that. We're talking about a new facility, first of its kind in that area and the residents that back upon it are feeling like they're just finding out about it late."
The project will now come back to council for site plan approval before it can move forward.
The cannabis production facility in question still needs final approval from Health Canada.
With files from Rob Hindi