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.
High Park Farms edible plans quashed by Enniskillen
This is ridiculous, a new facility in our community that would create good jobs for people, and it’s denied? This move would have made zero problems for the surrounding area. The odour and light would have been contained in the already established greenhouse while the traffic increase would have been minimally noticed. They just denied us more work. They denied the community a chance of generating more revenue which would have been more money in the hands of the people. Thanks for the progressive steps backward.
This is ridiculous, a new set of jobs in our community with no side effects, and it’s denied? The light and odour would have been contained in the already established green house while the traffic increase would have been minimally noticed. Our community just lost good jobs. Our community just lost revenue, money in our pockets. Thanks for the progressive steps backward. We need to rethink this.
I guess Enniskillen doesn’t need the extra tax revenue it would receive or the extra employment it could offer. I guess it’s good to know that a Enniskillen won’t be increasing property taxes in the near future as it appears they are sitting g pretty. Must be the only township In Ontario as all others are constantly complaining I guess they need more. As for the odour aren’t you farmland there with fertilizer fumes etc. Personly I say get everyone working and if it was the governments idea to make this stuff legal so stop contradicting yourselves and putting up obstacles