High Park Farms’ won’t be producing cannabis-infused candy and chocolate at its greenhouse near Petrolia.
The cannabis producer applied to change the zoning on the greenhouse to allow for the production of the edibles creating up to 40 new jobs at the facility.
Tuesday night, the plan stalled after Enniskillen Township Councillor Wally Dunn asked to approve the plan but no other councillor agreed.
In September, the company applied to dedicate about 7,300 square feet to producing cannabis based edibles including candy and chocolates. The move meant changes to the Official Plan and the Zoning Bylaw of the township to allow the value-added product to be made on the agricultural land.
Lambton County Planner Rob Nesbitt said at the time the production would be considered value added to agriculture and could move ahead.
But neighbours of the facility – already complaining about strong odours and excess light coming from the greenhouse – were concerned about the potential for increased traffic, light and odour if the company began producing edibles. Enniskillen Township asked the company have experts look at the issues. Tuesday, council considered the reports, which said the production would not produce more light since it would be in the enclosed portion of the greenhouse, LaSalle Road could handle any increased traffic and the production wouldn’t create any extra odours.
But Councillors Mary Lynn McCallum and Judy Krall expressed concerns. Krall says there is no way to tell what might be emitted to the environment during the production of the edibles.
McCallum simply didn’t agree that creating a processing facility inside the greenhouse could be considered as value-added farming.