Retail Cannabis in West Vancouver

March 2022 Update

At the Regular Council meeting on December 15, 2021, Council approved two Temporary Use Permits to allow a non-medical cannabis retail business for a period of three years to the following applicants:

Ambleside Commercial Area

  • 1453 Bellevue Avenue

Horseshoe Bay Commercial Area

  • 6609 Royal Avenue

Council denied the remaining eight applications.

October 2021 Update

The District of West Vancouver received a total of 10 Temporary Use Permit applications for cannabis retail. Visit our Current Developments webpage for information on the applications.

As per Council direction at the Regular Council meeting on May 31, 2021, staff brought forward all 10 current cannabis retail applications that were received by June 30, 2021, in a batch for Council to review.

Staff recommended that Council receive the report containing the 10 Temporary Use Permit applications for cannabis retail for information at the Council meeting on October 18, 2021. At the meeting Council passed the following motion that:

1) the following proposed Temporary Use Permit (TUP) applications:

  • No. 20-112 for 1453 Bellevue Avenue;
  • No. 21-072 for 1528 Marine Drive;
  • No. 21-094 for 1443 Clyde Avenue;
  • No. 21-097 for 1519 Clyde Avenue;
  • No. 21-099 for 1437 Clyde Avenue; and
  • No. 21-102 for 1480 Marine Drive;
  • No. 21-004 for 6609 Royal Avenue;
  • No. 21-036 for 6412 Bay Street;
  • No. 21-071 for 103-2433 Bellevue Avenue; and
  • No. 21-098 for 17-636 Clyde Avenue;

to allow for a cannabis retail business, as described in the report dated September 28, 2021, be considered at the December 15, 2021 Council Meeting, and that notice be given of consideration of the proposed Temporary Use Permits;

2) the minimum notification area for the proposed Temporary Use Permits in the Ambleside and Horseshoe Bay shopping areas required under Development Procedures Bylaw No. 4940, 2017, be enlarged to allow for a combined notice as shown in Appendix A; and

3) staff develop a checklist of information items and instructions to assist applicants to prepare their presentations and supporting materials.

As part of the consideration process, neighbours within 50 metres of each of the proposed TUP(s) received written notice about the application and had the opportunity to provide comments to Mayor and Council on the proposal. The deadline to submit written comments was December 15, 2021.

Background

Since October of 2018, non-medical cannabis has been legal in Canada. Retail stores have opened across the Lower Mainland, but the District of West Vancouver has taken a cautious approach and has not yet permitted retail cannabis stores to open in the municipality.

The District waited and reviewed what happened in other municipalities before developing draft criteria to guide the review and approval of cannabis retail proposals in West Vancouver.

We asked the community for input on this draft criteria to guide how cannabis retailers are approved in West Vancouver. The survey was open for comments until Wednesday, April 21, at 4 p.m.

What is an interim policy?

Developing the policy as "interim" indicates that the District does not intend for the policy to be final at this stage. Calling a policy "interim" indicates the expectation that there will be future review and consideration of updates to the policy. Staff are proposing to apply the policy on an interim basis (for a proposed period of three years) so that they can gain information and actual experience, then report back to Council with further evaluation and recommendations.

The interim policy now under development includes criteria for identifying acceptable sites for retail cannabis applications, which are legal in Canada.

Frequently Asked Questions

Background Information

Proposed criteria

  1. Retail cannabis stores may not be located within a 100-metre distance from elementary and secondary schools
  2. A retail cannabis business may have a maximum eight-metre store frontage
  3. A maximum of one store to be permitted in each of the following town centres/commercial nodes:
    1. Ambleside Village Centre
    2. Horseshoe Bay Village Centre
    3. Dundarave Village Centre
    4. Park Royal North

The following maps of commercial areas in West Vancouver indicate sites that would be permitted, or not permitted, using the proposed criteria.

Thank you for your feedback

Staff presented the Interim Non-medical Cannabis Policy to Council on Monday, May 31, 2021.

The survey was open for comments until Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 4 p.m.

March 2022 Update

At the Regular Council meeting on December 15, 2021, Council approved two Temporary Use Permits to allow a non-medical cannabis retail business for a period of three years to the following applicants:

Ambleside Commercial Area

  • 1453 Bellevue Avenue

Horseshoe Bay Commercial Area

  • 6609 Royal Avenue

Council denied the remaining eight applications.

October 2021 Update

The District of West Vancouver received a total of 10 Temporary Use Permit applications for cannabis retail. Visit our Current Developments webpage for information on the applications.

As per Council direction at the Regular Council meeting on May 31, 2021, staff brought forward all 10 current cannabis retail applications that were received by June 30, 2021, in a batch for Council to review.

Staff recommended that Council receive the report containing the 10 Temporary Use Permit applications for cannabis retail for information at the Council meeting on October 18, 2021. At the meeting Council passed the following motion that:

1) the following proposed Temporary Use Permit (TUP) applications:

  • No. 20-112 for 1453 Bellevue Avenue;
  • No. 21-072 for 1528 Marine Drive;
  • No. 21-094 for 1443 Clyde Avenue;
  • No. 21-097 for 1519 Clyde Avenue;
  • No. 21-099 for 1437 Clyde Avenue; and
  • No. 21-102 for 1480 Marine Drive;
  • No. 21-004 for 6609 Royal Avenue;
  • No. 21-036 for 6412 Bay Street;
  • No. 21-071 for 103-2433 Bellevue Avenue; and
  • No. 21-098 for 17-636 Clyde Avenue;

to allow for a cannabis retail business, as described in the report dated September 28, 2021, be considered at the December 15, 2021 Council Meeting, and that notice be given of consideration of the proposed Temporary Use Permits;

2) the minimum notification area for the proposed Temporary Use Permits in the Ambleside and Horseshoe Bay shopping areas required under Development Procedures Bylaw No. 4940, 2017, be enlarged to allow for a combined notice as shown in Appendix A; and

3) staff develop a checklist of information items and instructions to assist applicants to prepare their presentations and supporting materials.

As part of the consideration process, neighbours within 50 metres of each of the proposed TUP(s) received written notice about the application and had the opportunity to provide comments to Mayor and Council on the proposal. The deadline to submit written comments was December 15, 2021.

Background

Since October of 2018, non-medical cannabis has been legal in Canada. Retail stores have opened across the Lower Mainland, but the District of West Vancouver has taken a cautious approach and has not yet permitted retail cannabis stores to open in the municipality.

The District waited and reviewed what happened in other municipalities before developing draft criteria to guide the review and approval of cannabis retail proposals in West Vancouver.

We asked the community for input on this draft criteria to guide how cannabis retailers are approved in West Vancouver. The survey was open for comments until Wednesday, April 21, at 4 p.m.

What is an interim policy?

Developing the policy as "interim" indicates that the District does not intend for the policy to be final at this stage. Calling a policy "interim" indicates the expectation that there will be future review and consideration of updates to the policy. Staff are proposing to apply the policy on an interim basis (for a proposed period of three years) so that they can gain information and actual experience, then report back to Council with further evaluation and recommendations.

The interim policy now under development includes criteria for identifying acceptable sites for retail cannabis applications, which are legal in Canada.

Frequently Asked Questions

Background Information

Proposed criteria

  1. Retail cannabis stores may not be located within a 100-metre distance from elementary and secondary schools
  2. A retail cannabis business may have a maximum eight-metre store frontage
  3. A maximum of one store to be permitted in each of the following town centres/commercial nodes:
    1. Ambleside Village Centre
    2. Horseshoe Bay Village Centre
    3. Dundarave Village Centre
    4. Park Royal North

The following maps of commercial areas in West Vancouver indicate sites that would be permitted, or not permitted, using the proposed criteria.

Thank you for your feedback

Staff presented the Interim Non-medical Cannabis Policy to Council on Monday, May 31, 2021.

The survey was open for comments until Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 4 p.m.

  • 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.

Page last updated: 08 Mar 2022, 11:42 AM