By Kelly Coulter
The Union of British Columbia Municipalities will be holding its annual convention online Sept. 22-24 with six cannabis resolutions to be voted on.
The UBCM annual convention is a unique opportunity for the cannabis industry to connect with municipal leaders from across British Columbia. Craft Cannabis Association of British Columbia (CCABC), a registered non-profit industry association, has been an official sponsor since 2018 and will be again hosting this year.
“We are proud to represent the Craft Cannabis industry of British Columbia for a third year,” said Sarah Campbell, director of CCABC said.
“This year is going to be a unique virtual experience and we are looking forward to speaking with municipal leaders about the opportunities and challenges regarding small scale cannabis production in our communities. Cannabis is an emerging agricultural industry and the time is now to prepare our local businesses to survive and thrive.”
The six resolutions which will be introduced at the UBCM are the following:
- SR1 Cannabis Taxation Revenue Sharing (UBCM Executive)
- EB16 Medical Cannabis Safety Concerns (Sunshine Coast RD)
- EB73 Business Licensing Authority for Regional Districts (Sunshine Coast RD)
- NR17 BC Cannabis Regulation – Section 37 (Central Kootenay RD)
- NR59 Cannabis Enforcement and Regulation within the Agricultural Land Reserve (Maple Ridge)
- C2 Cannabis Retail Tax Revenue Sharing (Langley City)
Each has considerable importance as the province and respective municipalities become more accepting of the potential for cannabis revenue in their communities whether it is from taxes or incentivizing legal cannabis business.
The UBCM Executive hopes to pass SR1, which would give municipalities a percentage of tax revenue and has been a long-standing issue to which the province will have to face in coming years.
The Central Kootenay Regional District is taking a very forward approach in the form of Resolution NR17, the goal of which is to make it less burdensome and more possible for cannabis consumption lounges.
This is of particular interest to the Kootenay region as they anticipate cannabis tourism as a draw to the region in the future.
Maple Ridge and the Sunshine Coast are taking more prohibitive approaches to the cannabis sector with regards to land use restrictions and enforcement.
The resolutions can be found here:
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Kelly Coulter is an advisor to the Craft Cannabis Association of British Columbia.