Our goal is for residents and businesses in Nelson to have a voice in the development of municipal cannabis regulations. City Council has adopted a moratorium to prevent new cannabis-related businesses opening up as an interim measure to allow sufficient time to consult the community. With that in mind, the City will take steps to inform all residents and businesses that legalization of cannabis will be taking place in Canada.

We strongly encourage you to get as much information as you can to help us as a city make informed decisions about the future of cannabis in Nelson.

What we heard

Background on the engagement we undertook

Feedback Form
The City needs specific feedback on potential regulations related to retail outlets, public consumption, and personal cultivation. In order to ensure that the feedback received is as representative as possible of the households that live in Nelson and businesses that operate here, a mail-out survey to each dwelling unit and business (excluding home-based) is our main method of engagement. By ensuring that each household and each business has an equal chance to provide feedback, the goal is to have results that reflect the values and desires of the community as a whole.

The feedback form was mailed out the week of February 12^th. 

Click here to preview the cannabis feedback form. 

Public Awareness Events
The City of Nelson is working to raise public awareness around the upcoming legalization of cannabis through various media, including an info-ad in each Nelson Star edition throughout February and social media. The City held an information session for local media outlets to assist them in getting the information that they need to report on this process.

Public information events were held at:

• Whitewater Ski Resort: Friday February 16 starting at 10:00am
• City Hall, 310 Ward Street (2^nd floor): February 20 & 22 from Noon to 1:00pm and 4:00pm to 6:00pm - both days
• Kootenay Co-op: Saturday, February 24 from 10:00am to 12:30pm
• Chahko-Mika Mall: Saturday, February 24 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
• Adventure Hotel: Tuesday, May 1

Community Stakeholder Engagement
Community organizations and groups in sectors such as youth, families, seniors, social services, public health, enforcement, cannabis advocacy, and local business were invited to face-to-face sessions to obtain further feedback, context, and answer questions. These groups were invited to provide a written statement to Council to share their views on the topics outlined in the feedback form, if they so choose.

Reporting Back and Informing Next Steps
In early May 2018, the City held a public meeting to report back with draft regulations informed by the feedback received throughout the engagement process. This was an opportunity for the community to ask questions to the City, as well as the City to inform residents and groups about next steps in the regulation process for cannabis in Nelson.