Once burned by a “bong” mascot, Esquimalt council plans to be firmly in the driver’s seat when it comes to cannabis retailers

Esquimalt councillors have approved a new zoning bylaw that prohibits the retail sale of cannabis and cannabis lounges in any location in the township unless specifically rezoned to allow such use.

This effectively means that any cannabis dispensary wanting to locate in the township will have to go through a rezoning process.

“In my mind it helps us to, one, be very careful and controlled in terms what comes to us and where it will be situated,” said Mayor Barb Desjardins. “But also, in a rezoning you can talk to them about what are they going to provide for the community.

“This is a ‘nobody loses’ situation.”

In less than a month, Canada's Senate will be making a game-changing decision that'll impact the legal cannabis industry. At stake is bill C-45, which is better known as the Cannabis Act. If approved by Canada's federal government, it would make our neighbor to the north the very first developed country in the world to have legalized adult-use marijuana. In the process, it'll also be opening the door to billions of dollars in added annual sales.

Those looking to set up a retail cannabis store in Red Deer County will first have to go through the municipal planning commission.

Council approved bylaw changes on Tuesday to help ensure Red Deer County is ready once marijuana becomes legal.

“This is all brand new to Red Deer County. It’s not legal yet in Canada, but we’re trying to be ready,” said Red Deer County Mayor Jim Wood.

Cannabis retail operations in Red Deer County will be considered discretionary under the newly-passed regulations, therefore MPC approval is required. Wood says this means the public will get their say before an operator sets up shop.

It raises the question yet again: why did the Liberals give themselves the artificial deadline of Canada Day to pass the pot bill?

You want it when? The Senate tends to move with the urgency of Flash the Sloth in Disney’s Zootopia.

The upshot is that there are growing concerns in government about the Red Chamber meeting Justin Trudeau’s summer deadline on legalizing marijuana, as well as passing the accompanying impaired driving bill.

At least the main cannabis bill — C-45 — goes to a vote in the Senate on June 7. That would give the House two weeks before the summer break to deal with any amendments.

But the drug impaired driving bill — C-46 — is still before the Senate’s legal affairs committee, which is drawing up a draft report.

While marijuana stocks may be considered a contentious sector to invest in to some investors, this is a sector that could be quite profitable for long-term investors. If recreational cannabis is soon legalized, many marijuana companies are positioned to potentially experience explosive earnings growth in the years ahead.

Three marijuana stocks are now included in the S&P/TSX Composite Index, and that number may continue to grow.

Given the growing presence and leadership of these stocks, I recently spoke with Vahan Ajamian, an analyst who currently covers eight marijuana equities at Beacon Securities Ltd. Here are excerpts from our conversation, with an expanded version available online at tgam.ca/inside the market.

Standing Senate committee on Aboriginal peoples says some called consultations inadequate.

After a Senate committee proposed postponing cannabis legalization so that Indigenous leaders could have a seat at the table, a federal agency on the file has responded —  the problem is with the current system, and putting off legalization won't fix that, it says.

"The current system is not working — Canada has some of the highest rates of youth use of cannabis, the illegal market is thriving and Canadians continue to be subject to criminal prosecution for possession of small amounts of cannabis," said Health Canada in a statement to CBC News.

There's another indication that marijuana legalization is going to feel like Prohibition 2.0 for some in B.C.'s thriving cannabis sector.

That's because the NDP government has revealed that seeds will be included in the list of products being monitored in the federal cannabis tracking system.

"Additionally, the Liquor Distribution Branch will maintain its own product listing system for any products, including seeds, that it acquires from licensed producers and distributes to public stores, private retail stores, or sells through the online sales system."

The revelation came in response to questions posed to the province by Deepak Anand. He's vice president of business development and government relations with a consulting firm called Cannabis Compliance Inc.

In advance of Ontario’s election on June 7, the Human Resources Professionals Association is setting out several recommendations for the province’s political parties, including more clarity around recreational marijuana rules.

In light of the drug’s impending legalization, the HRPA’s election suggestions call for setting a clear legal definition of impairment as well as the grounds under which an employer can test an employee for cannabis use. As well, the organization wants the government work with other provinces to co-ordinate the regulations in order to ensure organizations with a national workforce are able to follow policies and communicate effectively with employees.

Prospective retailers undergo background checks, pay thousands in upfront costs — then wait.

If everything goes according to plan, Daryl Robinson will open his first retail cannabis store in Edmonton this summer.

Herbal Headquarters will sell edibles and oils, and a variety of cannabis products for treating pain. Robinson said his store on 124th Street and 103rd Avenue will be the first of five he expects to open within the next year in Alberta, if the federal government legalizes cannabis by the end of the summer.

First, he has to finish a lengthy cannabis licensing process with the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission.

'I have never seen a fight associated with cannabis,' says lawyer Peter Harte.

As N.W.T. draft legislation for the legalization of cannabis is under review, many have wondered how it will affect the criminal justice system and policing. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau renewed his promise Thursday that recreational cannabis use will be legal by summer. The N.W.T.'s Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Implementation Act, or Bill 6, is currently under review.