Richmond councillor worried about cannabis company on ALR
Posted August 15, 2019 11:47 am.
Last Updated August 15, 2019 11:48 am.
RICHMOND (NEWS 1130) – A Richmond councillor is concerned, but reserving judgement, after a cannabis company received its cultivation licence from Health Canada, paving the way for it to start production on a large-scale outdoor grow area.
Emerald Health Therapeutics (EHT) can now grow and harvest cannabis crops at its 12-acre outdoor cultivation area, located on Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) near No. 9 Road and Westminster Highway. The entire facility is 20 acres with two greenhouses, and the company expects to produce up to 10,000 kilograms of cannabis annually.
“Odour management is a concern,” Coun. Linda McPhail said. “We’re hoping (Metro Vancouver) come out with some very stringent bylaws and are able to enforce them.”
McPhail is also concerned about security at an open-air growing facility.
McPhail acknowledges EHT would have had to comply with some strict regulations in order to get the license.
The City of Richmond passed a bylaw in 2003 banning the production of medical cannabis on ALR, however in 2015, the province allowed federal medical cannabis production on the ALR.
Last year, EHT took the city to court and won after it issued a stop work order and permit denial.
“While we realize that the provincial government had said cannabis is a crop and we can’t do anything to stop them from growing it, we had hoped growers would look to the industrial land,” McPhail said.
EHT was unavailable for comment.
