The City's entire retail cannabis regulation model has been approved, following a 5-3 vote in favour at Monday's council meeting.
The third and final part of this model includes a seven-person committee, which will be reviewing pot shop applications. This committee will include representatives from the following departments:
Overseeing this committee will be an external consultant, who will ensure that the process is being done properly.
This part of the regulation model will also include a scoring matrix, which grades applicants based on their compliance with zoning bylaws, their business plans, and their security requirements, among other criteria.
Tracy Gray was one of those who voted in opposition to this parf of the model, saying she disagreed with parts of the scoring matrix.
"I don't believe that we should be considering things like market analysis, funding, or staffing levels," says Gray. "That's really getting into the weeds of a business plan, and I don't think that that's something that governments should be getting involved in."
Gray says the regulation model is still a fairly new concept, and may still need to be adjusted over time.
The City of Kelowna will be accepting applications from now until November 30th, and those who pass the first phase will move on to the rezoning process in December and January.