WATCH: A medical marijuana dispensary opened its doors for the first time in Vancouver today, much to the dismay of residents who live in the same condo complex. Jill Bennett reports.
A marijuana dispensary that’s moved into a building in downtown Vancouver could have far-reaching consequences.
The insurance company for the condominium at 1675 Hornby St. says it will cancel policies for all of the units if the move goes ahead, saying it is too high of a risk.
But the dispensary opened as planned on Saturday.
There are about 28 residential and two retail units in the building. The dispensary will take the place of a former flower shop.
Residents received a letter saying the insurance company was going to cancel their policy last month.
“Whenever we have a change in the building, we have to let our insurance company know,” says strata council vice-president Maxine Clough. “So we notified them and that’s when we found out that they wouldn’t be able to hold our insurance.”
They have now been rejected by eight different insurance companies.
“It leaves us in a very risky position,” says Clough.
Residents say if they manage to get an insurance company on board, their deductible is likely to increase substantially.
There is now a petition to stop the dispensary from setting up shop in the building. It has received over a hundred signatures from people in the neighbourhood.
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