Having legal marijuana producers set up in Timmins is a potential economic boom Coun. Joe Campbell doesn’t want to miss.
Tuesday, council directed staff to move ahead with updating the city zoning bylaw to include where cannabis production and processing facilities can be located.
While the city’s official plan has policies to support cannabis production and processing, it's not in the zoning bylaw.
“Wherever we go with this, the best practises cannot discourage people from coming and setting up here,” said Campbell, who was chairing the meeting in the absence of Mayor George Pirie.
Campbell said he’s researched Smiths Falls, a small eastern Ontario community that is now the headquarters of Tweed Inc and its parent company Canopy Growth Corp.
“And the economic boom to that town is tremendous and we want to be able to, if possible...take part in that economic boom,” he said.
Timmins’ planning department has had three inquiries about cannabis processing facilities.
Manager of planning Cindy Welsh said staff has done extensive research to see the best practises of other Ontario municipalities.
In other municipalities, the staff report says the facilities are allowed in agricultural, rural and industrial areas.
For Timmins, staff are recommending they’re permitted in rural, light industrial (class 1), medium industrial (class 2) and heavy industrial zones.
Some of the items staff will be considering are odour, traffic, security, lighting, agricultural impact, economic impact, and others.
Right now, according to the report, Health Canada requires the production and processing operation to be in a single enclosed building.
“This prevents the requirement to ship the product to a separate location for processing,” reads the report.
Before changes are approved, Welsh said there will be a public process before it’s brought back to council.
You can read the full report here.
