It will be up to Abbotsford council to decide if, and where, marijuana might be allowed to be sold in the city. But Mayor Henry Braun says he will wait until council gathers to discuss the topic to reveal how he’d like to see Abbotsford deal with legal pot.
Last week, the province revealed its plans for regulating legal marijuana sales after the federal government introduces legislation this summer. Those rules will allow municipalities to be able to refuse to grant business licences to marijuana stores, or set rules for where they will be able to operate.
Braun said he’ll wait for council to gather before opining on the subject.
“It wouldn’t be good for me to voice my personal opinions before council as a whole has a chance to discuss this,” he told The News. “We’ll be doing that in public so everyone will get to hear who said what.”
Braun expected such a discussion to quickly follow on the heels of the introduction of legislation. That was originally expected to take place in early July, although the federal government has since suggested it may take longer.
“We’re not going to stall or drag our heels,” Braun said. October’s municipal election does, however, mean that if the legislation is delayed into the fall, the current council may not have time to deal with the issue.
“I’m not sure when it comes down to it, whether or not we will change our zoning bylaw to make room for this.”