Another craft cannabis grower could be coming to Kingsville.
Council on Tuesday voted approved the site plan for a 5,700 sq. ft. micro cultivation facility on County Road 8 for cash crop farmer Chris Chevalier.
The town has been inundated with large scale greenhouse and farming request since pot was legalized last October.
But unlike large operations that face security and environmental problems, small-scale operations are considered more secure and easier to manage, according to Mayor Nelson Santos.
Chis Chevalier says the site plan is the first step towards getting the facility approved by the province.
He says his farm is seasonal, so the added indoor crop will be a great way to keep earning year round.
"We're cash crop famers and we're just broadening our portfolio," he says. "It's a new and upcoming industry that we young farmers should look into for sure."
Chevalier adds he's hired a consultant to assure the approval goes smoothly.
"I've been working with an accredited agency, Cannabis Compliance Group. They're familiar with Health Canada and they guide us through the system," says Chevalier.
Chevalier says he won't let negative stereotypes hold him back from a viable crop.
"There's a lot of bad stigma out there and I think a lot of people need to realize that it's medically used, people like it recreationally as well," says Chevalier. "It's here to stay; we just have to find a way to adapt to it."
Chevalier will need to pony up a 50 per cent deposit for the cost of an odor control system before the town will issue a building permit.
He hopes to be cultivating his first crop by the spring of 2020.
It's the third site plan for a micro cultivation site approved in Kingsville this year.