(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Charlene Tebbutt

Liquor stores

City increases distance between liquor, cannabis outlets

Apr 9, 2019 | 8:11 AM

The city has amended its zoning bylaw to add more distance between liquor and cannabis outlets following concerns over private retail permits being resold in the community.

City council voted to increase the distance to 500 metres at its regular meeting Monday night. Mayor Greg Dionne introduced the motion over concerns that old or stagnant liquor permits are being resold in the city, which could result in a cluster of outlets in the same area.

Dionne told council he is aware of a potential request to add another liquor retail outlet near Marquis Road and Sixth Avenue East on the city’s south side, an area which already has one outlet and another in the works.

Lake Country Co-op is renovating its convenience store on Marquis Road to include a liquor outlet. City councillors heard at the meeting Monday that the permit was purchased from the P.A. Inn, which hasn’t operated an off-sale outlet for some eight years.

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Dionne has said previously that the city had no control over the move.

“The problem that we have is we don’t want them all together,” Dionne said after the meeting. “If you’re going to have three or four of them, you want them all over the city … so that’s why I’m pleased to see that we’re going to have them spread all over our city, then they service our city.”

Before the amendment, the city’s zoning bylaw called for outlets to be at least 200 metres apart from each other. While the city has said it does not want additional liquor retail stores in P.A., the selling of licenses between owners will result in more retail sites. After some discussion Monday night, council also voted to make the 500-metre separation a requirement for pot shops as well.

The 500-metre distance is equivalent to about three city blocks, council heard Monday night. Ward 6 Coun. Blake Edwards, who seconded Dionne’s motion, suggested 500 metres might not be enough.

“That’s within walking distance, easily,” he said.

Ward 2 Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp questioned whether there is evidence that increasing distance between retail outlets limits alcohol consumption. She said she would support the motion, however, if cannabis outlets were also put under the new restriction, which was made part of the motion.

Ward 4 Coun. Don Cody said there was a time when liquor stores weren’t located inside hotels, and said the city shouldn’t be too hasty to deny potential economic development.

“We can’t restrict everything folks, we just can’t,” Cody said.

City Manager Jim Toye told council they don’t know how many stagnant liquor licenses there are currently in P.A., but the city can check with the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority for more information.

The changes to the zoning bylaw will be put before council once again in the coming months for formal approval.

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Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt