Kamloops city council have supported a 15th retail cannabis store, but not without some public concerns.

The store in Valleyview, at 2121 Trans-Canada Highway, is located next door to the Kamloops Dance Academy, and the studio’s artistic director Sandy Lewis wrote with concern to council as more than 300 young kids dance there every week.

The storefront for the cannabis store is currently empty, and councillor Mike O’Reilly says having a business there could help cut down vagrancy in the area.

“I also hope, for the dance academy itself, that things actually will get better when this store goes in. That when you’re talking about potential urination or deprication in the corners, that this spot will now become active,” O’Reilly says.

“In the same breath, when we’re talking about the amount of cars and the people going in and out, this actually could be better for you than a potential restaurant that would go there and have 40 or 50 people at any given time. So I’m really hoping that this helps activate that space.

“And I fear if, by turning things down when they have met the requirements, is we’re moving the goal posts for investment. And whether that’s a cannabis store or a light industrial company or a supply company. If they’re meeting the zoning requirement, it’s not our job, or shouldn’t be, to be moving those goal posts.”

Kamloops mayor Ken Christian says having a cannabis store next to a dance studio that students aren’t allowed into is a better option than having a fast food store next door would be.

The cannabis store owner will still need a license from the province before opening. Council has now supported 15 out of 16 retail cannabis applications in the city.