It was fairly recent that the government finally put regulations in place regarding control of cannabis cultivation odours. (Submitted photo/B.C. Craft Farmers Co-op)

By Jennifer Olson

fundamentals

Communities need full transparency from cannabis land use applicants

Feb 29, 2024 | 10:51 AM

Community input plays a pivotal role in shaping cannabis land use regulations and perceptions.

Not everyone feels good about living next to or near a cannabis production facility. Mitigating community concerns extends beyond regulatory compliance. Cannabis cultivators need to be transparent and put effort and care into integrating into the community.

Jaclynn Pehota is a cannabis land-use expert and the executive director of the Retail Cannabis Council of British Columbia. She described bylaws that certain municipalities have enacted to leverage community voices.

“The development permit process across British Columbia is disparate and inconsistent,” stated Pehota.

“There are various municipalities that have bylaws on the books that allow for cannabis production as long as you meet zoning criteria and a minimum parcel size criteria. In other municipalities, there are huge public hearing components. The surrounding neighbourhood is invited to give their input. Stakeholders, non-profit organizations and local First Nations communities are consulted through these hearings.

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One of the biggest concerns from community members is regarding the strong odour of maturing cannabis plants potentially wafting through the neighbourhood.

“The main complaint we hear without exception is that almost everybody who objects to these operations is worried about the smell,” Pehota said.

“Farmers need to reassure communities that they won’t be bombarded by strong terpene odours.”

It was fairly recent that the government finally put regulations in place regarding control of cannabis cultivation odours, after several complaints were made by residents of Delta.

“There was no requirement for remediation of smell until 2020, when Health Canada changed the regulations they previously had in place. This was a response to the Canopy Growth greenhouses in Delta, which were 50,000 square feet in size. You could smell those facilities from far away, and your eyes would water when you were near them. The concerns of the community were valid – terpenes are caustic.”

Facilities like Canopy Growth can have a negative effect on community attitudes towards cannabis farming in general.

“That kind of farming is fundamentally anti-social,” Pehota reflected.

“It is not a positive thing to bring something that is truly disruptive into your community and I don’t think what Canopy was doing in Delta was appropriate. I don’t blame Delta for the reaction that they had. it had a negative knockdown effect on a lot of places. People read about these things in the newspaper and suddenly cultivators are on the backfoot.”

Cannabis micro-cultivators must take necessary steps to reassure communities that their facilities won’t be disruptive to the neighbourhood.

“Cultivators have to show people that [their business] is not going to be like Aurora Sky in Alberta with a 700,000 square foot facility,” Pehota explained.

“They have to show that what they are doing is artisanal and small scale and that kind of thing. Those are the kinds of projects we are seeing coming to fruition these days. It’s a big part of being successful when you are approaching land use and the municipalities that have public input processes. You have to prove that you’re there to be a part of that community.”

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