Start a non-medical cannabis retail business

We are accepting applications to open cannabis retail stores located within designated areas of the District. If you are interested in opening a cannabis store, please review this page to understand the requirements, and to learn how to apply.

Submitting an application is not a guarantee that a store would be approved. In addition to meeting a number of policy requirements, you will also require Council approval, which is subject to public input and other factors.

Where we will consider cannabis retail stores

You can apply to open a retail cannabis store on a site that is:

  • zoned to allow a liquor store
  • located at least 200 metres from any elementary or high school
  • located within the Lions Gate & Marine Drive Corridor, Maplewood, Lynn Creek, or Lynn Valley Town Centers, as defined in the Official Community Plan

We only allow one cannabis business in each of these centres. Additional locations outside the town and village centres may be considered.

The brown areas on this map indicate the locations that meet the basic requirements for retail cannabis (the grey circles represent the 200m buffer around schools).

How to apply

You can apply to open a cannabis retail store by following these steps: 

  1. Apply to the Provincial Liquor & Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) for a retail cannabis store licence
  2. The LCRB will review your application, and if it satisfies all of their requirements, they will refer it to us 
  3. If we receive an LCRB referral, we will contact you with information on how to apply for your cannabis retail store
  4. After you submit your application, we will review it to make sure it conforms to our Non-medical Retail Cannabis Policy
  5. If Council approves your application, we will notify the LCRB
  6. You apply for a District business licence
  7. Once you have met all of our business licence requirements, the LCRB will issue your retail cannabis licence, and we will issue your business licence

Additional  permits, such as a development permit, building permit or sign permit, will be required, depending on your business needs. 

Note that we consider proposals based on the order we receive referrals from LCRB, and a referral from them is not a guarantee that your business will be approved by the District. 

What we consider when reviewing your application

Beyond our location requirements, we consider additional criteria when evaluating your application, which include:

  • Access for vehicles, including potential traffic impacts and parking availability
  • Access for pedestrians and cyclists, including proximity to public transit
  • A proposed interior layout that does not accommodate product sampling
  • A proposed exterior design that is sensitive to the design and character of the respective town or village centre
  • Design of signage that is in accordance with our sign bylaw
  • Operating hours that do not exceed 9am to 9pm
  • Proposed store security that meets the requirements in the Provincial Cannabis Retail Store Licence Terms and Conditions Handbook

Be sure to review the complete list of requirements in the Non-medical Retail Cannabis Policy

Cannabis applications status

This map shows the status all of the applications from non-medical cannabis businesses that we have received so far. 

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