Weyburn’s city council approved two applications for cannabis outlets in the city’s downtown core at their meeting on Monday evening, held by Zoom.
The first is located at the former location of Pappa Jack’s, at the corner of Souris Avenue and Government Road, and the second is on First Street, in a location previously used for Huebner Plumbing and Heating.
The first outlet is in an area zoned as Major Arterial Commercial, and the second is in the Central Business District, with cannabis outlets being discretionary in both locations.
As the applications are discretionary use, notices were sent out to all neighbours in a 75-metre radius, and there were no concerns or objections received for either location, said Janine Fletcher, development officer for the City of Weyburn.
The location on Government Road has 2,047 square feet of space, or 190 square metres, and is part of a building with a number of other commercial units, including retail, restaurant and personal services.
The applicant needs to comply with all requirements of the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA), and operations cannot begin until a City business licence is obtained, accompanied by written approval from the SLGA. No drive-through service is allowed, and the owner must comply with all federal and provincial acts and regulations for the sale of cannabis.
For the store on First Street, the proposed business name is Galaxie Greens and Edibles, and will have retail space of around 190 square metres. No off-street parking is required, and a city-owned parking lot is adjacent to the building.
No drive-through service is permitted, and the owner will have to comply with all the requirements and regulations of the SLGA and of the federal and provincial governments before they can proceed.
“I’m excited to see folks interested in investing in a business in our community,” said Coun. Jeff Richards after council unanimously passed both applications.
Asked if there is a limit for how many cannabis outlets can be located in the city, Fletcher noted that initially Weyburn had a limit of two, but in September of 2020, the government lifted the limit.
• In other council business, a proposal for the indoor play equipment was passed, and a B.C.-based company, Orca Coast Playgrounds, was approved with the bid of $360,950.
It was not the lowest bid, but according to Andrew Crowe, director of leisure services, this proposal has the biggest structure with a wide variety of play elements, and will use the space most effectively.
The design is four levels high, or 19 feet in height, and measures 28 feet wide by 45 feet long, with a capacity for up to 220 children.
Some of the features include an enclosed spiral slide, a three-lane triple wave slide, a 15-foot themed climbing wall, and is low maintenance with high durability, including vandal-resistant padding and netting.
Mayor Marcel Roy asked Crowe if they had consulted any children about the design, about whether they would like it or not.
Crowe said they asked a number of staff persons who have children to check out the designs, plus Coun. Ryan Janke noted he showed his son the designs, and they all agreed that this design looked to be the best one submitted. A total of five proposals were submitted to the City for play structures.
“This is very cool,” said Coun. Jeff Richards, who asked about there being only a one-year warranty when the city is spending over $360,000 for this equipment.
Crowe said this warranty is fairly typical with all of the companies that submitted bids.
He noted among the cool features is an area suitable for toddlers to use, as well as a tall climbing wall. Once Wright Construction has completed their contract and are out of the building, the company will send in an experienced crew to install the play equipment, and this is part of the price.
• Council awarded two tenders to Green Drop Ltd., one to do an urban forest tree inventory of the 7,000-plus trees in Weyburn, and secondly to be a third-party vendor to do pruning of city-owned trees on several boulevard locations around Weyburn.
The tree maintenance program will see around 380 trees pruned this summer.
• City council will return to in-person meetings in chambers as of their next meeting, set for Monday, April 12.
