North Huron is planning to join several surrounding municipalities in regulating the location of cannabis production facilities by establishing “setbacks to sensitive uses.”

One of the main reasons for the bylaw change is the smell created when growing marijuana.

Other municipalities in Huron County have adopted bylaws to regulate the production of cannabis, including Huron East, Central Huron, and Morris-Turnberry. The setbacks adopted by these municipalities were modelled by a bylaw drafted and adopted by Norfolk County.

Huron County planner Hanna Homan presented the report to North Huron council and said that the council would be provided with proposed bylaw text for consideration at the public meeting.

“At a high-level the bylaw would define sensitive uses, establish setbacks to sensitive uses, and establish requirements for air treatment control,” she said.

Homan’s report said that due to the legalization of the production and consumption of recreational cannabis, many municipalities in Ontario have adopted bylaws to regulate the location of cannabis production facilities.

In 2019, through a municipally initiated housekeeping amendment, the wording and definitions for these facilities were updated to ‘cannabis production facilities to be consistent with the language used by Health Canada, following recreational legalization.’

There are no provisions in the previous zoning bylaw that include setbacks to sensitive uses for these facilities. The proposed bylaw would apply across all lands in the township; therefore, a notice will be published in local newspapers.