Background

Cannabis has been legal in Canada since 2018.

The Federal Government of Canada legalized recreational cannabis across the country with the adoption of the Cannabis Act on October 17, 2018. The Cannabis Act provides a framework for cannabis production and distribution; it also regulates and enforces criminal offences, including measures to protect youth. On October 17, 2019, the Cannabis Act was updated to legalize edibles, topical applications and extracts.

Before cannabis was legalized in Canada, the District of West Vancouver adopted a Zoning Bylaw amendment on July 23, 2018, to prohibit retail cannabis sales and production in West Vancouver.

Once cannabis was legalized in Canada, the municipality waited to see how other municipalities would approach the matter before developing draft policy criteria to guide the consideration and approval of cannabis retail proposals in West Vancouver. Based on the experiences of other municipalities, staff developed the proposed interim policy.