Owners of unlicensed Vancouver pot shops could take cases to court
Posted May 3, 2016 7:41 am.
Last Updated May 3, 2016 8:10 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Bylaw officers are expected to hand out even more fines to unlicensed pot shops in Vancouver today, as they continue to defy Friday’s deadline to shut down.
But how much longer this battle could drag on?
A lawyer representing several owners says we should be prepared to see some cases end up in court.
“From what I understand, my clients are willing to take whatever steps necessary and within the bounds of the administrative or judicial remedies available to them to allow them to continue to service their customers and to bring needed local access to medical cannabis to their membership,” says Kirk Tousaw.
He says you can fight bylaw tickets in provincial court.
“And you’re also, to the extent this becomes a necessity, entitled to go to BC Supreme Court on judicial review of adverse decisions of administrative tribunals, including the City of Vancouver, and/or the Board of Variance. So, we’re prepared to exhaust every option available to us to continue to bring enhanced quality of life to membership of the dispensaries.”
He adds the history of medical cannabis access in Canada has included ongoing litigation since about the mid-1990s.
“Unfortunately, it looks like the aggressive enforcement action taken by the City of Vancouver is going to require yet another chapter in that litany of litigation to be written.”
The City says 22 shops have shut their doors. More than 40 tickets have been given to stores that are not complying.
Friday was the deadline for unlicensed shops that don’t meet the City’s regulations to close.
