City of Calgary launches public engagement on proposed designated cannabis consumption areas
The City of Calgary is looking for feedback from citizens on four proposed designated cannabis consumption areas. Calgarians can provide their input between August 27 and September 7 by visiting Engage.Calgary.ca/CannabisAreas or by filling out a feedback form at a sounding board located at the proposed designated areas.
When cannabis becomes legal on October 17, under Calgary’s Cannabis Consumption Bylaw, it will be illegal to consume recreational cannabis in any form (smoking, vaping or edibles) in public places. Cannabis may be consumed on private property.
Landlord and tenant agreements, condo bylaws, and hotel rules can prohibit cannabis consumption. This means that some citizens and visitors to Calgary may not have a legal place to consume cannabis. However, Council can approve designated areas where cannabis may be smoked, vaped or otherwise consumed in designated public places. These designated cannabis consumption areas are intended to help alleviate a lack of access to a permissible place to consume cannabis once it is legal.
The City is asking for citizen feedback on four proposed areas located in the following three communities:
Inglewood
1. Green space at 11 Ave. S.E., between 11th and 12th St.
2. Green space adjacent to Wildlands parking lot on Ninth Ave. S.E. past 22nd St.
Bridgeland
3. Murdoch Park, on the southern end of 7A St. N.E.
Ogden
4. Green space located north of shopping plaza at Glenmore Tr. and Ogden Rd S.E.
Potential designated cannabis consumption areas are measured through criteria which address the location’s accessibility, safety, and proximity to sensitive land uses. The following separation distances apply:
- 150 m from a school
- 100 m from areas intensively used by children, including playgrounds, sport fields, spaces with play amenities, or family-friendly attractions
- Not within off-leash areas
- Not within a sensitive natural area
- Not in an area where other site users must pass to access another part of the site (e.g. pathways or park entrance)
- 30 m from any safety hazards
- 30 m from residences
Designated cannabis consumption areas will be confined to a defined radius and equipped with waste receptacles and tamper-proof ashtrays. Once approved, The City of Calgary may suspend locations should there be safety or nuisance concerns.
“Since late 2016, The City has extensively researched and developed regulations around cannabis that are tailored to our diverse population,” said Matt Zabloski, lead for The City’s cannabis legalization project. “Each of the regulations we’ve set are reflective of the concerns Calgarians expressed to us, and we are eager to hear citizen feedback about these potential designated cannabis consumption areas.”
Calgarians’ feedback will be brought to a Public Meeting of Council on October 9, 2018, at which citizens may speak. Citizen response will help to inform Council’s decision on whether proposed locations will be approved as designated cannabis consumption areas.
To provide online feedback on the proposed designated cannabis consumption areas, Calgarians are asked to visit Engage.Calgary.ca/CannabisAreas. General information on The City of Calgary’s approach to cannabis legalization is available at Calgary.ca/Cannabis.
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