Hamilton city council will be objecting to the proposed location of a licensed cannabis store in Ancaster.
Ancaster Coun. Lloyd Ferguson says the application to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, made by Cannabis Roll, involves a former variety store property on Hatton Drive, in the area of Highway 403 and Fiddler’s Green Road.
Ferguson says the proposal is “very contentious” among residents because it’s in what he describes as a “densely populated residential area.”
Council is backing his motion to file an objection with the AGCO, however it’s unclear if the city can stop the application since the city is only a commenting agency, the property in question is commercially zoned and the proposal meets the province’s only requirement that the pot shop not be located within 150 metres of a school.
Director of bylaw services Ken Leendertse agrees that the application “doesn’t fit within the intent that council originally had” when it voted 10-6 to be a host city to licensed cannabis stores, but he also stresses that the city has “no authority to veto the decision of the AGCO.”
In addition to the Ancaster proposal, there are currently eight other cannabis retail applications open for comment on the AGCO website and proposed within the city of Hamilton.
Ward 3 Coun. Nrinder Nann notes that one of them, at 976 Main St. E., is just steps away from Gage Park.