Kamloops city council is sticking to their guns in terms of separation between retail cannabis stores.

A retailer was looking to open a cannabis store downtown at 234 Victoria Street which was 94 metres away from the next closest retail store. That retailer had asked for a development variance permit since the city’s zoning doesn’t allow cannabis stores within 100 metres.

Coun. Bill Sarai says saying ‘yes’ may have opened a can of worms for cannabis storefronts asking for exceptions.

“Looking at going to 94 metres, and if we do approve it then there will be another application in a month saying ‘well you did 94, why can’t you do 92? And then did you 92, you did 90,” Sarai says.

“When past council was looking at the 300 metres and then to 150 metres, I thought that would be a good fit. Then we went to 100 metres so I cannot be supporting this… We have zoning in place, let everybody follow the same zoning.”

Also yesterday, Kamloops council did support an application for a 14th cannabis store in the city located downtown at 231 4th Avenue. That store is 108 metres away from the next closest cannabis store.