Oro-Medonte Mayor Harry Hughes is hoping Health Canada will act on concerns about cannabis production facilities before a hearing that is set to take place next year.
Hughes introduced a motion at a recent county council meeting that states if Health Canada issues a licence to grow but the applicant hasn’t met all the requirements, the federal body can revoke that licence.
“If that happens, we don’t need an LPAT (Local Planning Appeal Tribunal) hearing,” he said. “They’re going to save LPAT and the taxpayers of Ontario a lot of money.”
Hughes contends licences were granted to commercial cannabis producers in the township without the proper notification to the municipality.
“They’re not following their own process,” he said of Health Canada.
Oro-Medonte implemented a bylaw to regulate where cannabis production facilities can be located in the township. That led three companies — Carmel Pharms, Organibis and 2541005 Ontario Ltd. — to appeal to the LPAT.
An 11-day hearing has been set for March 22, 2022.
“There’ll be a lot of money involved in that,” Hughes said, adding that’s too long to wait for the township’s concerns to be addressed.
Some of those concerns include issues with noise and odour — factors in the implementation of the bylaw in question.
While Hughes would like to see Health Canada take action before the LPAT hearing, he is hopeful the bylaw will be upheld and feels the fact a residents’ group is standing by the township will bolster their chances.
The non-profit Oro-Medonte Community Coalition Corporation was established “for the purpose of ensuring that the newly legalized industry of cannabis growth and manufacture is restricted to industrial and economic lands,” according to its mission statement. That group has been granted party status for next year’s LPAT hearing.
