A Port Hardy cannabis shop is poised to become one of the first licensed cannabis retailers on Vancouver Island.
Stellar Jay Organics has received approval in principle from the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch and plans to open its doors by February.
Owners Serena Neumerschitsky and Tristan Radzik said they are expecting an inspection from provincial regulators in the next two weeks, and if they meet all the security requirements, they’ll get the green light to open.
Because of the store’s location in the North Island Mall, which is not within 50 metres of people’s homes, the District of Port Hardy approved its development permit without going through a lengthy public-consultation process, said Heather Nelson-Smith, Port Hardy’s director of corporate and development services.
Stellar Jay Organics was the first cannabis retailer to apply for a licence through the municipality, Nelson-Smith said. Since then, another retailer, Pacificanna, has put in an application to open a store on Market Street.
“We started the process on changing our zoning [for cannabis retailers] back in early 2017, so it was council’s intention that we wanted to be ready for cannabis legalization,” Nelson-Smith said.
The Ministry of Public Safety was not able to say how many cannabis retailers on Vancouver Island have approval in principle, but Radzik said the company received verbal confirmation that Stellar Jay is one of the first.
Neumerschitsky has a background in fashion and branding and Radzik is a construction worker turned IT specialist. The couple, who have been married for six years, met 10 years ago in Vancouver, where they lived until they moved to Port Hardy in 2018.
Cannabis retailers are required to submit their applications online to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, which conducts criminal-record checks and other screening before sending referrals to local municipalities. Once the municipality or First Nation approves the rezoning and consults with the public, it sends the application back to the province, which issues the licence.
Even government-owned B.C. Cannabis stores must get the go-ahead from local governments before they open. The City of Nanaimo is considering applications from the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch for two cannabis stores: one at the Country Club Centre and a second store in Woodgrove Crossing shopping plaza on Mary Ellen Drive. Nanaimo council will consider a staff report on the two retail stores next month.
A B.C. Cannabis store has been approved by the City of Campbell River for a location in the Discovery Harbour Shopping Centre, said Dave Mills, a property manager for Northwest Properties. The strip mall on North Island highway is still under construction.
So far, the only government-run cannabis store in the province operates in Kamloops. Cannabis-industry insiders say the province was too slow in opening brick-and-mortar stores once pot became legal on Oct. 17.
Many Vancouver Island pot shops have closed their doors while they await a provincial licence that will turn their once illegal enterprises into a legitimate business.
Stellar Jay Organics wasn’t one of the shops operating before legalization, however. It was important to the couple to operate legally from the start, Neumerschitsky said.
With very few “grey market” cannabis retailers operating north of Campbell River, Radzik believes there’s a large market waiting for legal cannabis. “While we’re focusing on our population here, it would be amazing to grasp all the people in the Mount Waddington area,” he said, referring to north Vancouver Island and B.C.’s lower central coast.
After the final inspection, Stellar Jay Organics will get a GST number that allows it to order cannabis from the Liquor Distribution Branch. The store will sell cannabis flowers, pre-rolled joints, oils and paraphernalia.
Many in the cannabis industry have expressed fears about supply shortages across the country that have kept some licensed pot shops in Ontario and Quebec operating on limited hours.
Neumerschitsky is confident the LDB will have the supply they need.
Born and raised on Vancouver Island, Neumerschitsky said she’s excited to operate one of its first legal cannabis retailers.
“I love the Island, so I do get excited,” Neumerschitsky said. “I do see myself as an old lady saying: ‘Back in the days of prohibition … ’ ”
