The fight over commercial cannabis operations in Oro-Medonte Township appears far from over.
Cannabis producers put a notch in the win column last month when the Ontario Land Tribunal struck down the township’s bylaw amendment aimed at controlling cannabis production and processing facilities.
That left residents, worried about the bud’s smell close to their homes, concerned.
At a township meeting earlier this week, council decided to pursue the issue further, passing a motion to seek leave to appeal the tribunal’s Jan. 25 decision.
The township is trying to restrict those operations to land zoned industrial, which prompted cannabis companies to take their objections to the amendment to the tribunal. In the decision, tribunal member Jatinder Bhullar ultimately found the amendment does not conform with the provincial growth plan to encourage and support the agriculture sector.
On Friday, Oro-Medonte Township Mayor Randy Greenlaw said residents have complained of the “pungent smell” coming from the growing operations during a three-month period in the late summer and fall.
“We’re looking to get them some relief from the concern, which is predominantly just the odour during the flowering season of the plant,” he said. “Hopefully, the leave to appeal will allow us to engage, (aiming) toward an amicable solution for all.”
The goal, the mayor added, is to strike some sort of a balance between the residents and the cannabis production/processing facility operators.
Mitch Eisen, who is with the Oro-Medonte Community Coalition Corp., said he was encouraged by council’s intent to appeal the tribunal’s decision.
“We were very disappointed with the decision,” he said. “We’re pleased the township is taking an integral role with trying to uphold this bylaw and we intend on supporting them.”
Eisen, who's a criminal defence lawyer, said residents' concerns are not related to the plant's former status as an illicit substance. Cannabis was legalized in Canada in 2018.
The objection, he said, has to do with the byproduct of its growth, which is primarily the smell and its impact on nearby communities.
“If you live near one of these farms, during that three-month period you’ve got a constant odour” that some say is almost skunk-like, Eisen said.
Representing 10982 Ontario Ltd., a lawyer has said the company’s intent to launch a business called Organibis on nearly 13 acres along Ridge Road was blocked as a result of the township's bylaw amendment. Nothing has been developed.
There are two other companies in the southern portion of the township which are producing cannabis products that also objected to the tribunal.
One is 2541005 Ontario Ltd., which is a hemp-growing farm near Line 3, operating adjacent to the Shanty Bay settlement area.
Hemp fibres are often used in the manufacture of textiles, such as ropes, sails and clothing.
The third company, Carmel Pharms Corp., struck a deal with the township.
Located on Line 7 South, Carmel earlier reached a “site-specific settlement” with the township, which the tribunal endorsed and found to represent “good land-use planning in the context of a farming operation that was in operation already.”
Greenlaw said it differs from the Line 3 operation because it is an indoor grow operation.
