Some residents and farmers want Bradford West Gwillimbury to just say no to cannabis.
They packed the house at the committe of the whole meeting Tuesday evening to urge the town to restrict cannabis microcultivation operations in the Holland Marsh.
Growing cannabis in the Marsh has become an increasing concern and the cause for numerous complaints regarding odour, drainage issues, the installation of greenhouses and enforcement issues, they said.
David Munshaw was one of the farmers who voiced concerns about the lack of regulation in the Marsh, and frustration with the impact of cannabis greenhouses on his livelihood.
Munshaw, who has been farming since 1988 with his father, urged council to reduce the number of greenhouses permitted to grow cannabis, noting the odour is "thick in the air with an oily discharge" that has penetrated his home and carrot storage facility.
"It is literally in our house, in our living room, you can smell it, it doesn't go away," he told councillors.
Munshaw added that the odour has put a strain on his marriage; his wife no longer wants to raise a family in the Marsh.
"There is excess water coming off these greenhouses, going down my field, in my carrot crop," he said. "This is our liveliehood and if we keep losing fields, in 10 years, the Marsh is going to be full of dope."
His mother, Christine, also pleaded for council to help, noting, "Valuable soil is being covered up and taken out of production."
"The Marsh is part of Bradford's history and its roots. Please do the right thing and amend the bylaws for vegetable growing only."
Town staff are recommending a zoning amendment and regulatory bylaw to manage and license cannabis growth operations in the Holland Marsh.
Over the past 12 to 18 months, the town has received inquiries from potential growers wishing to obtain licences.
Last May, council introduced a bylaw temporarily prohibiting any new cannabis micro-cultivation operations so staff could examine the planning and zoning bylaws required for such facilities.
Council agreed that something needs to be done and soon, noting that staff has taken the proper steps in getting the wheels in motion for creating some guidelines.
"We got to do something and we got to do something fast," said Councillor Gary Baynes. "Whatever we come up with has to look at the existing and the new grow ops."
The staff report was to provide council with a review of the types of cannabis licences offered through Health Canada, outline the policies and zoning in regards to growing cannabis in the town’s agricultural and rural areas, and provide reviews of the issues related to micro-cultivation operations, cannabis cultivation on the Holland Marsh, and drainage impacts in the Marsh, more specifically from greenhouse installations.
Options presented to council include:
1. Status quo where cannabis permissions would simply continue to be governed by existing zoning definitions and permissions;
2. Initiate a zoning bylaw amendment providing specific definitions, permissions and standards for cannabis cultivation;
3. Implement site plan control for cannabis growing operations;
4. Draft a cannabis specific regulatory bylaw under the Municipal Act that sets certain regulations based on the fact that cannabis production, particularly in the Marsh, could be considered a public nuisances (e.g. odour) and implementation of a business licence for agricultural cannabis production.
It is being recommended that council initiate a specific zone amendment related to the cultivation of cannabis, make an amendment to the site plan control bylaw, as well as create a regulatory bylaw that includes provisions for licensing agricultural cannabis operations.
Councillor Raj Sanhu commended staff on the report but asked if there was a way to speed up the process to control cannabis production.
"Even if we started tomorrow, you're into a number of months," planner Ryan Windle responded.
Councillor Gary Lamb suggested adopting King Township's bylaw, which limits cannabis greenhouses to 30 per cent of the total agricultural land.
CAO Geoff McKnight said he will discuss with staff options to expedite the process.
