A public consultation has been approved for Canada’s first Indigenous reserve-owned licensed cannabis shop to open a location in Merritt, B.C.

The owners of the proposed shop, the Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) or T’exelcemc (people of WLFN) of the Secwepemc Nation, are already veterans of the cannabis business.

WLFN-owned Unity Cannabis in Williams Lake was the result of a historic first government-to-government agreement between a First Nation and the B.C. provincial government under section 119 of the B.C. Cannabis Control and Licensing Act, a provision created to “allow some flexibility” within provincial regulations to address the specific interests of an Indigenous government and community.

The business proposal for the new shop, which would be located in the Adelphi Hotel, was presented to Merritt City Council by Chief of Williams Lake First Nation Willie Sellars last month.

In the proposal, Sellars pledged to “source local talent” to staff the dispensary, and to “invest in employees’ education to give people a better retail experience.”

Sellars also mentioned some interest in developing the restaurant space in the building, noting that “the historical component of these old stores, to embrace it and expand on it, I think is going to be something that we want to look at and continue to build on.”

The motion to request public consultation regarding the shop was approved in a 6-1 council vote. Public notices are set to be posted at and within 100 feet of the proposed site, requesting written input from local residents.

Although Merritt previously placed a four-store cap in place to limit cannabis shops within its limits, the cap was removed late last year.