Council vote moves Iqaluit cannabis store closer to relocation

Iqaluit city council has voted to take a step closer to allowing an Iqaluit cannabis store to move to a new location in the heart of downtown.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, members voted in favour of a rezoning amendment on first reading that would enable the Higher Experience cannabis store to move to a new location 30 metres away from its current site.

The rezoning is one step the store needs to move from its location on Fred Coman Street to a new site on Mattaaq Crescent. Both properties are in the city’s core.

The other condition is to get Government of Nunavut approval, because the Finance Department oversees licences for cannabis vendors.

At the city’s planning and development committee on Feb. 17, councillors voted to hold a public hearing to address the proposed store location’s vicinity to what Deputy Mayor Kimberly Smith called “sensitive” areas.

Sensitive areas are to be re-examined, given the new store’s location is close to a school, playground and daycare.

Nunatsiaq News was unable to confirm whether a public hearing had been scheduled.

On Feb. 18, the GN began a public consultation, requesting feedback on the proposed new store. That consultation was held for a 30-day period, ending March 17.

Under Nunavut’s Cannabis Act, the territorial government is required to hold public consultations whenever an application to open a store is received.

Nunatsiaq News has made several requests for data and feedback gleaned during the consultation period. On Tuesday, the Finance Department, which oversees and collects the data, said it was working on that request.

The department did not respond to more recent requests Thursday.