Timmins is getting closer to pinpointing where legal marijuana producers can set up.
At the Feb. 4 council meeting there is a zoning bylaw amendment dealing with the item.
While the city’s official plan has policies to support cannabis production and processing, it's not in the zoning bylaw.
Staff are recommending that cannabis production and processing sites be allowed in areas zoned rural, light industrial (class 1), medium industrial (class 2), and heavy industrial zones.
"There is a provision included to allow proponents to install air treatment control," reads the report.
"This will give proponents the flexibility to install adequate odour control in order to maintain a reasonable setback of 75 metres from sensitive land uses. If a proponent chooses not to install air treatment control, a greater minimum setback requirement of 150 metres will be required to prevent odours from reaching sensitive land uses, although Health Canada may require this."
Council directed staff to move ahead with updating the city's bylaw for where cannabis production and processing facilities can be located in May 2019.
At that time, Coun. Joe Campbell said it's a potential economic boom and noted Smiths Falls, a small eastern Ontario community that is now the headquarters of Tweed Inc and its parent company Canopy Growth Corp.
In the spring, city planning staff said the municipality had received three inquiries about cannabis processing facilities.
According to this week's staff report, a public meeting was held for the proposed changes in July 2019.
"There were no members of the public in attendance who spoke to the proposed amendment," reads the report, which states one written submission supporting the changes was submitted.
Timmins council meets Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. Read the full report here.
