Latest news with #BusinessLicenceBylaw
CBC
01-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Calgary OKs cannabis sales at adults-only festivals and events
Calgary city council amended a bylaw Tuesday to allow the sale of cannabis products at 18+ events in the city. The amendment to the Business Licence Bylaw permits temporary cannabis sales at adults-only entertainment events and trade shows, and prioritizes Calgary-based retailers, according to a release from the city. The rule change comes after Coun. Kourtney Penner introduced a notice of motion in February calling for the bylaw to be amended. "This amendment marks a significant step forward for Calgary, aligning our local regulations with provincial changes and supporting our city's vibrant entertainment scene," said Michael Briegel, deputy chief of business safety with the city. "By allowing cannabis sales at 18+ events, we are ensuring compliance and implementing safety measures to protect minors." The bylaw takes effect May 15 and prohibits the sale of cannabis at events where minors are also allowed. Only local retailers with an active or current business licence may sell cannabis at adults-only events, pending approval from Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) for temporary licence extensions. Previous rules meant that cannabis consumption was confined to designated areas and the sale of marijuana products had to be kept separate from those areas. Coun. Penner, who represents Ward 11, says changing the bylaw improves safety around cannabis sales without changing existing use regulations about where it can be consumed. "The biggest issue is actually safety. So when you're transporting a substance through a large environment where people are having a great time, there's just, you know, opportunity for things to go wrong," she said. "And so having a safe, secure site really just helps you control it and regulate the distribution. It will be no different than if you go to the beer gardens and you walk up to the counter and you were able to get your beer at a festival." Penner says it will ultimately be the festival or event's choice to allow cannabis vendors to operate at their event. She notes that cannabis vendors won't be seen at regular bars and venues that are adults-only though, as they have to comply with provincial rules. She says AGLC will be overseeing licensing for vendors who wish to temporarily set up shop at events. "It really falls under the provision of a festival. So again, it has to be compliant with an AGLC licence," Penner said. "If it was a specific festival, one night, ticketed entry, perhaps. Again, they're going to have to check that with AGLC." Nathan Mison, founder and president of Diplomat Consulting, a regulatory firm that has been advocating for changes to rules around the sale of cannabis, says it makes sense for Calgary to take this step in alignment with provincial rules. Mison, also one of a the founders of Fire & Flower Cannabis Co., says his firm was involved in calling on the province to allow for cannabis sales at adults-only events. "We're happy that Calgary has come to the table and that there will be opportunity for cannabis consumption at festivals and events in the ongoing future," he said. Mison's firm also founded Positive Intent Events (PIE), a company focused on creating opportunities for cannabis consumption at festivals and other 18+ live events in Alberta. PIE, in partnership with cannabis company High Tide, has already hosted a cannabis consumption garden at the International Fringe Theatre Festival in Edmonton, with more events lined up in that city this year, he says. "We're now excited that there's the possibility that we could have the Calgary Stampede and other incredible events in Calgary," Mison said. WATCH | Edmonton's International Fringe Theatre opens its first-ever cannabis garden: Edmonton's International Fringe Theatre opens its first-ever cannabis garden. 8 months ago Duration 2:18 Mison says clearing other regulatory hurdles to get cannabis gardens at events like the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival in Calgary might take a little bit longer, but he's optimistic. "It might be difficult to have [Stampede] included for this year, as robust as it could be, but, you know, the opportunities to have those conversations about what those possibilities should be start today," he said. Mison adds that the acceptance of these rules could open the door for other forms down the line. "I think now [lawmakers] are starting to see this is an economic opportunity for not just festivals and live events," he said. "The natural extension of that is clubs, coffee shops, cannabis chefs, cannabis restaurants — where it can either be an inebriant but also a new food flavour."
CBC
03-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Saskatoon city council seeks federal funding that could change city's AirBnB, VRBO landscape
Saskatoon city council is seeking money to crack down on unlicensed short-term rentals in the city, like those on AirBnB and VRBO, amid an active moratorium on licensing certain new short-term rentals. Last year, Ottawa created a Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund, which was a way for communities across Canada to use federal dollars to crack down on short-term accommodations that consume rental supply and can result in fewer long-term rentals on the market. The City of Saskatoon applied for $380,000 from the fund, expected to cover most of the costs for an enforcement program in a three-year period, with $25,000 coming from the city to cover management and supervision of the program. Adam Clarkson, who hosts an AirBnB in Saskatoon, said the short-term rental market in the city is small and he believes short-term rentals are "such a miniscule part of the problem." "I think it's a political move to say that cracking down on them is going to make an impact in a positive way," Clarkson said. The potential renewed enforcement efforts come alongside an existing roadblock for some AirBnB owners in the city. Those looking to make their rental a legitimate business and avoid the steep fines are not able to obtain a licence, unless the unit is a homestay — when the owner lives in the home where the unit is being rented — because of an active moratorium in Saskatoon. In January 2024, Saskatoon stopped granting business licences to short-term rental properties, which provide tenancies for less than 30 days. Under the city's Business Licence Bylaw, once the rental vacancy rate drops below three per cent it cannot permit new licences to standalone short-term rentals, which are separate residences from where the owner stays. That includes rentals hosted on platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, Expedia, and Obasa Six-Three Suites. Clarkson would not comment about whether he has obtained a licence. According to city council documents, there are about 230 licensed units in the city. While there is not a precise number of unlicensed units operating in the city, it said there are about 700 listings on AirBnB and 150 on VRBO. The documents also say the city will contact property owners in violation of the bylaw to provide them a deadline to either stop operation or obtain a licence. If they're found to be non-compliant, they could face fines up to $25,000 per day for each day the "offence" occurred, as determined by the courts. Darren Hill, a former city councillor who has had a pair AirBnB rentals in his home for several years, said the short-term rentals generate two to three times more revenue than a long-term rental — though it's more work. Hill says he's in support of the city's plan to crack down on short-term rentals because they "wreak havoc on the housing stock" and help further compound the shortage of rental units because they're not available on the long-term rental market. He defended his rental situation by stating that it is a homestay rental, rather than a standalone that would take an entire apartment, condo or home off the rental market.
