After some positive public engagement results, the proposal to allow a cannabis store at the Sandown Park shopping centre is now set to be revisited by North Saanich council.
Andrew Sinclair, a spokesperson for the property developer, is hoping for the green light to allow Cheeky’s to open at the expanding shopping centre.
“We think this is going to be a really positive addition to Sandown,” he said in a phone interview. “It’s certainly going to do lots to draw customers into the shopping centre.”
The proposal went through two rounds of public consultation in January after direction from council.
“I do think it’s prudent to do some sort of community engagement to see what the temperature is of our community,” Coun. Kristine Marshall said during the Nov. 6 meeting.
An in-person engagement session organized by Sinclair brought in seven attendees, and an online poll conducted by the North Saanich Residents Association (NSRA) had 57 respondents vote for and 55 vote against allowing the store.
“Based on our results I would think that it’s not a huge issue in the community,” NSRA president John Kafka told the Peninsula News Review. “We would think that if it was a bigger issue, we would have had a larger number of people respond.”
Kafka said he thought this would likely settle the issue.
“I don’t really anticipate or think that there’s an appetite by council, nor do I think there’s a demand by residents, for any further consultation,” he said.
Sinclair also suggested the low turnout and moderate support show people aren’t too concerned about the proposed store.
“To us, it didn’t seem to elicit that much interest,” he said.
Felice Mazzoni, North Saanich’s director of planning, wasn’t certain the engagement effort will be up to snuff for the council. The issue is expected on the Feb. 12 council agenda.
“Whether that’s going to be sufficient for council is another story,” he said. “A low turnout doesn’t mean acceptance, and I think we all know that.”
When cannabis was legalized in 2018, council amended local bylaws to prohibit cannabis production and sale in most local buildings.
To allow this project to go forward, council would need to grant a rezoning request. District staff, including Mazzoni, recommended against this due to the number of alternative area options to purchase cannabis and because it runs counter to the intentions of the 2018 bylaws.
Most detractors have focused the number of cannabis stores within a short drive of Sandown.
“I firmly believe that permitting another cannabis store in our vicinity would be excessive,” resident Carmel Foster wrote in a letter presented to council.
Sinclair and the owners of Cheeky’s gave their pitch to council in November 2023, arguing cannabis use has grown, public expectations have changed, and the market is there for another shop.
Cheeky’s is a partnership, and one of the owners, Ken Brookes, also owns a liquor store slated to go in next door to the proposed location. He made the point at the November meeting that cannabis has supplanted demand for alcohol, so he needs to diversify.
“The business is not as easy as it once was,” he said.
READ MORE: Cheeky’s eyes retail cannabis location in North Saanich
