The City of Estevan received a few responses since council passed first reading on a proposed bylaw on August 9 that would expand the area within the city that would allow a cannabis retailer to set up shop.

One was that marijuana should not be legalized or available for sale in Estevan. The City's answer to the concerned person was that marijuana legalization is a federal matter while the province is in charge of retail sales.

A second response was that Estevan has enough stores. Mayor Roy Ludwig said council has determined that they'll let "free enterprise take its course." He said they might have one or two eventually have to shut down, but that council isn't limiting the number of businesses who can try their hand as marijuana retailers. He added they're treating cannabis retailers the same as any other business, in that regard.

The third response was that a pot shop should not be able to set up near an addiction counselling service. The City said the caller "was not interested in investigating whether a separation distance between a cannabis store and a counselling addiction service would be helpful or effective."

Councillor Shelly Veroba brought up the idea that they could run into an issue where a counselling service couldn't set up in a location if there was already a marijuana retailer there. City Land Development Manager Richard Neufeld was at council to address any questions, and said it would be a matter of which organization was there first.

Neufeld also said they would go beyond the standard 75-metre radius from a potential cannabis location when it comes to consulting other entities.

"That could be dealt with as part of the development permit process. That's what it's there for.

"We have a minimum 75-metre distance that we refer to typically on discretionary uses, but we do expand that from time to time if it looks like there's merit in doing so. If we have a cannabis store get proposed near an addiction centre, as an example an addiction centre down by AVS Video and cannabis store is out by the Grasshopper, that's way more than 75 metres away, we would notify them anyways because it just is the right thing to do."

Councillor Travis Frank said that any issues that come up related to a pot shop being in close proximity to a counselling service will be dealt with as the public gets a chance to voice any concerns as prospective businesses apply for permits.

Second and third readings on the proposed bylaw change were carried. The City will continue to require any cannabis retailers to maintain a certain distance from schools.