‘High level of support’ for Iqaluit cannabis store move, owner says
Hearing Tuesday seeks public input on the future of cannabis store in Iqaluit
The public can attend a hearing at Iqaluit city hall Tuesday to discuss a proposal to move Higher Experience cannabis store to a new location near its current site. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian
Owners of an Iqaluit cannabis store hope a public hearing Tuesday night will take them one step closer to being able to move their business to a new location.
The meeting, which starts at 5:30 p.m. at city hall, is part of the City of Iqaluit’s process for considering a zoning amendment to allow the Higher Experience business to move. A second approval process, led by the Government of Nunavut, is also underway.
“We are getting close to the final stage of decision-making,” co-owner Frances Ikeno said of Tuesday’s meeting in an interview.
“Under the current circumstances, with the feedback we’ve gotten we’re assuming that it’s going to be fairly positive.”
She and her business partner Kevin Ikeno want to move Higher Experience across the street about 30 metres from its current location on Mattaaq Crescent to a site on Fred Coman Street.
Despite the relatively small move, Nunavut’s Cannabis Act stipulates any new store must be approved by the territory’s finance minister.
Included in the approval process is a 30-day public consultation period led by the Finance Department, which ended March 17 with mostly positive feedback.
Of the 24 written responses received, 20 were in support, three were opposed, and one expressed concern that the new site is too close to Nakasuk School, which is about 130 metres away, said an unsigned email from the department.
“We have had a fairly high level of support,” Frances Ikeno said.
Letters in opposition to the move were specifically directed at the legality of cannabis, rather than the store’s proposed location, she added.
The required zoning amendment from the City of Iqaluit passed first reading at city council on April 14. Tuesday’s meeting is part of the process before the amendment can be passed.
The Higher Experience store opened in 2024.
Frances Ikeno said she and her business partner have been looking for a new store location for more than a year, after learning the lease at their current site would expire at the end of July.
She lives in Ottawa and will not be at Tuesday’s meeting, but she said Kevin Ikeno would attend.
“We are hoping for a positive turnout,” she said.
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