Richmond council is considering asking the provincial government to place a moratorium on growing pot on farmland and allow each municipality to decide whether cannabis can be grown within its jurisdiction.
The recommendations will come up at a council meeting this afternoon (Wednesday) for council consideration. There are three recommendations from staff regarding pot growing on farmland: that the province place a moratorium, that cannabis be taken out from the Farm Practices Protection (Right to Farm) Act, and that local government be allowed to decide whether cannabis should be grown in their municipality.
The city got its knuckles rapped last spring after halting the construction of a greenhouse in east Richmond because the city suspected it was being built for the cultivation of cannabis. The courts found Richmond’s 2003 zoning bylaw to forbid medical cannabis production in the ALR was inconsistent with provincial ALR rules that came into effect in 2015. It also found that the city was unlawful in withholding a permit based on a suspicion that the applicant may engage in illegal activity in the future.
The provincial law allows cannabis production outside in a field or in a building with a soil base, or in an existing building or one that is under construction that is meant for growing crops.
A staff report from early December outlined concerns saying the legislation leaves ALR land “open to substantial risk of development” and could result in the loss of farmland by letting food-based crops be displaced by cannabis crops.
- with files from Megan Devlin
