Estevan city council has decided that one marijuana retailer will be sufficient for the Energy City once the drug becomes legal.
Council approved having just the one dispensary in Estevan at its meeting on Monday night, acting on a recommendation that came from the Estevan board of police commissioners last month to have just the one retailer.
The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority had said Estevan could have two retailers if it wanted.
Discussion at Monday night’s meeting on the issue was brief. Mayor Roy Ludwig noted that Police Chief Paul Ladouceur wanted to have just one retailer at first, monitor the situation and then at some point in the future, add a second retailer in Estevan.
Councillor Shelly Veroba, in making the motion Monday night to have just one retailer, said that when council decides a second retailer is necessary, it could be added.
“I don’t think we should start with two,” she said.
Nobody showed up to the council meeting to voice opposition to the one vendor system, and the only people in council chambers on Monday night were council members, city staff and the media.
Ludwig said that due to all of the changes associated with marijuana legalization, including changes to bylaws, as well as the impact on local law enforcement, it would be easier to start with one retailer and add a second at a later date.
“It’s just going to be a lot of things coming at our police, and everyone, actually,” said Ludwig.
The city’s building inspector has been working on a bylaw and on zoning requirements, in co-operation with the police chief. Ludwig said those tasks are moving forward.
The police board is discussing new issues that pop up related to marijuana legalization at each of their meetings.
Cannabis is scheduled to be legalized in Canada as of July 1.
“It’s all happening fairly rapidly as we move forward,” said Ludwig.
The legalization of marijuana generated a lot of discussion at the recent convention for the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association, he said, because a lot of municipalities are scrambling to be ready for the legalization date.
The mayor is confident the city will be ready once marijuana becomes legal, as the bylaw changes will be finished. And he’s confident the EPS will be ready as well.
“The chief has been going to different conferences on this all the time,” said Ludwig.
The retailer that council approves would be located in a commercial area, likely downtown, rather than in an industrial area. It also has to be a certain distance away from schools.
Ludwig believes that council’s decision to have one retailer won’t result in pricing issues.
“The price will be probably fixed by the liquor board commission,” said Ludwig.
The mayor admits that some members of the public are not pleased with the decision to go with one retailer. Most of the dissenting voices that he has heard don’t want to see marijuana sold in Estevan.
“Some of our elderly people would rather not see any, but the problem we have with that is the underground economy (for marijuana) is here already, so for us to just say we’re not going to have it would be somewhat simplistic,” said Ludwig. “People would just order it online, or go to Weyburn and get it.”
He added he knows of some who want to see two retailers in the community.
Once it’s time to add a second retailer, Ludwig believes it would be as simple as having a recommendation from the police board to city council, and then council would need to be willing to have a second dispensary. It would have to fall under conditions outlined in the zoning bylaw.
“I’m sure the licensing people would then decide at that time,” said Ludwig. “Interested parties would apply, and then they (SLGA) again would decide – like they’re going to with this one – who gets it. That won’t be a council decision. That will be the liquor commission that decides who gets this business licence.”
The city hasn’t spoken with SLGA on whether it would be allowed to apply for a second licence at some point in the future, but Ludwig said council believes that won’t be a problem.
