City Councillor Gael Miles wants the city to better regulate licensed marijuana grow operations in residential areas of Brampton
Councillor Miles wants the city to consider a new bylaw that would give Brampton greater power to monitor and enforce applicable laws to the current situation. Council passed a motion last week asking staff to look into the legislative powers available to the city for management of grow ops.
Since 2014 Health Canada has issued upwards of 35,000 licenses for medical marijuana production, some of which are located in residential areas across Brampton, but the city has limited access to information regarding the actual number of operations in the city.
Councillor Miles cited a “growing concern locally” in the meeting, “in some cases there are children actually living in the home where grow operations are happening.”
The operations are legal, but local governments can ask for more regulation. In fact, last year Mississauga passed a bylaw that regulates the production of marijuana.
Its bylaw limits operations to industrial and manufacturing zones, and it also sets fire and safety standards. The premises of grow operations are also subject to inspection.
Staff will likely use Mississauga’s bylaw as an example as the move forward with their research on the matter.
