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Pot planted in industrial parks
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The Langley pot bylaw will now be considered by the provincial Minister of Agriculture. by Matthew Claxton mclaxton@langleyadvance.com
There was a lot of smoke but no fire as Langley Township council debated a bylaw to control medical marijuana farming Monday night. The council would ultimately vote unanimously in favour of a bylaw that would restrict growing medical pot to industrial areas only. To get to that unanimous vote, they embarked on a wide-ranging discussion about industrial versus agricultural growing, and about the tight timelines for any new rules. The federal regulations will change on April 1, 2014. For years, medical pot has been grow in small lots, by either its users or people with permits to sell to a small handful of registered users. The system of small grow-ops, which has been a headache for police and a target for criminals, is being phased out in favour of a private enterprise system. Larger-scale private firms will be allowed to grow and compete for customers. Seven companies expressed interest in the new rules, said Mayor Jack Froese. Only one, longtime local firm Koch Greenhouses, came forward to speak at last week’s hearing. Koch wants to continue to grow medical pot at the company’s rural greenhouses, long used for orchids. The owners said that agricultural land is the right place for growing marijuana, not industrial sites. Councillor Bob Long noted that at least one “There’s not a lot of Langley’s neighbours, Maple Ridge, known about it.” is moving towards David Davis allowing pot only in agricultural regions. “They’ve actually gone in the opposite direction,” said Long. The measure hasn’t been discussed at the Township’s Agricultural Advisory Committee. “There’s not a lot known about it,” said Coun. David Davis. Most locals with an interest in medical marijuana didn’t hear about the issue until recently, Davis said. The next meeting of the ag committee is this Thursday, but several councillors argued that it might take too long to get input from the committee, and possibly change the bylaw and hold a new public hearing. Coun. Charlie Fox warned of a “tidal wave” coming on April 1 when the new regulations hit, and said citizens need action before that. “What do we think’s going to happen on April 1?” asked Davis. “Not a lot a lot’s going to happen April 1.” Froese noted that there are seven potential applicants for marijuana licences who will need an answer on local rules by that date. The answer may not come from the council, as the Ministry of Agriculture has the right to overrule the Township on this issue. Langley Township, along with Abbotsford, Kelowna, and Delta, are all under rules that allow the province to override any agriculture-related bylaws the council passes. All four communities are trying to put forward similar bylaws restricting pot to industrial areas, as is Pitt Meadows.
Troy Landreville/Langley Advance
Ringing in the season
The youngest of the carolers who visited Simpson Manor long-term care home in Fort Langley on Tuesday night was two-year-old Elizabeth Porter, who joined her mom, Teresa. While Elizabeth didn’t sing, she lent some musical accompaniment by shaking bells. After a quick warm-up at the Fort Langley library, the carolers strolled south through downtown Fort Langley to their destination.