The Mayor of Huron East says the municipality worked out an innovative agreement with the owner of a potential cannabis operation that he believes will work well for both the owner and the municipality.
“We’ve negotiated an actual setup where there are engineered filter type systems to try and remove anything from the air, including odour,” explained Huron East Mayor Bernie McLellan. “But it also gives the municipality some teeth to go back and address the issue if there is in fact a problem.”
By arriving at an agreement that involves both the municipality and the owners working towards the same objective, McLellan explained it avoids the adversarial situation around enforcing a bylaw.
“The biggest concern, of course, with a lot of bylaws is that when you get notification of the fact that a bylaw is being broken, you send your bylaw officer out and they do an investigation. Well the problem is if there isn’t a problem at that time, it’s pretty tough for them to do anything,” said McLellan.
MacLellan added if there is a violation that leads to court appearances, the legal system and fines. He said this way, the owner has agreed, ahead of time, to address any problems that arise, so MacLellan believes that makes everyone happier.
