The city’s oldest marijuana compassion clubs and other non-profit dispensaries may be able to sidestep the city’s new bylaw that restricts them from being near schools and community centres.

Councillor Kerry Jang, Vision Vancouver’s spokesman on marijuana issues, has said new rules barring any pot shops within 300 metres of schools, community centres or other similar stores will apply to all Vancouver’s existing 100 dispensaries. This could mean up to two-thirds may have to move to secure a special new business licence.

REGINA — The RCMP has uncovered a large marijuana grow-op in a small community in southeast Saskatchewan.

A total of 433 pot plants were found over the weekend inside a residence in the village of Richmound, located about 450 kilometres west of Regina. According to an RCMP news release, the plants had a street value of more than $430,000 — a sizable cash crop for an agricultural area, about 80 kilometres north of Maple Creek near the Alberta border.

RCMP said the investigation was prompted by a traffic stop in Richmound on Friday by members of the Leader detachment. What was described in the release as “a significant amount” of marijuana was seized from the vehicle. An adult male and female were arrested and charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Marijuana activists are upset about the treatment they got from Vancouver police at Cannabis Day on July 1.

There was a scuffle, pepper spraying, and four arrests.

"Many marijuana activists and members of our community were horrified by the actions of the police and want to know why the city would choose to act so combative toward non-violent protesters," Cannabis Day organizer Jeremiah Vandermeer blogged.

At least four people were arrested as the so-called protest stretched into a long, hot day full of pro-pot propaganda on the concrete steps of the art gallery.

What a bong show.

Pot activists and Vancouver police clashed at a Canada Day demonstration on Wednesday at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

At least four people were arrested as the so-called protest stretched into a long, hot day full of pro-pot propaganda on the concrete steps of the art gallery.

The B.C. Compassion Club Society intends to take the fight to city hall — despite the recently passed marijuana regulations — to keep the east Vancouver location it’s operated out of since 1997.

After considering shutting down their operations for good in light of new regulations on medicinal marijuana dispensaries, the B.C. Compassion Club Society is going to appeal to city councillors to stay put.

Since 1997, the non-profit society has operated in East Vancouver — dispensing medicinal marijuana and offering other holistic services.

A few years later, a public school opened across the street. Under Vancouver’s new regulations, the society must relocate.

The Vancouver Police Department's new Chief Constable Adam Palmer agrees with federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose that the city's flourishing marijuana dispensaries are breaking the law — but he isn't planning a crackdown.

"They are illegal, so the minister is correct, there's no issue there," said Palmer Monday.

Last week, after Vancouver city council passed a groundbreaking bylaw to regulate and license the city's roughly 100 pot dispensaries, Ambrose issued a strongly-worded statement that she was "deeply disappointed."

"We expect the police to enforce the law," she wrote.

One of Vancouver Island's largest medical marijuana growing companies announced Thursday it is laying off 61 employees.

Tilray opened its Nanaimo facility in 2014 and at its peak employed nearly 200 people, giving it a high profile as a major employer in the region.

The company insists the layoffs will not have any impact on "the thousands of patients we serve," according to a statement from Tilray CEO Greg Engel.

"Tilray is making changes to our operating model to more efficiently serve patients and the MMPR market as it exists today," Engel wrote.

"Tilray is well-capitalized and confident in our long-term business strategy, and we are operating more efficiently than ever before."

Major employer

VANCOUVER – A marijuana activist is vowing to proceed with an annual Canada Day pot protest outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, despite a cease-and-desist letter from the city.

Jodie Emery says “Cannabis Day” has been held for nearly 20 years and typically attracts about 10,000 people who sell, buy and smoke illegal marijuana in the public square.

But she says she and her husband, pot activist Marc Emery, received a letter from deputy city manager Sadhu Johnston earlier this month telling them to stop planning the event because they don’t have a permit.

Emery says organizers have never sought a permit because the annual event is a protest, not a festival, and volunteers previously paid for toilets, security, radios and first aid at the city’s request.

The Vancouver city council decision to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries is not sitting well with federal government ministers.

Yesterday after the city council passed the new regulations, Federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose blasted the shops as illegal.

This morning National Revenue Minister and Conservative MP for Delta Richmond East, Kerry-Lynne Findlay told the Early Edition's Stephen Quinn they should be shut down.

"This is illegal what is happening in Vancouver."

"These stores have absolutely no regard for the rule of law. They've already been caught selling marijuana to kids."