Whistler will soon welcome its first legal cannabis retail stores—but none of the municipally approved vendors have a clear idea of when exactly that will be.
On June 20, the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s (RMOW) mayor and council followed staff’s recommendations and voted to approve four temporary use permit (TUP) cannabis retail applications: two in Whistler Village and one each in Function Junction and Creekside.
However, patrons will have to wait a little longer for these stores to open, as renovations and minor permits must be approved before sales begin. If all goes well, the first stores could open in time for the 2023-24 winter ski season.
Companies with successful applications include This is Cannabis at 201-4293 Mountain Square in the Village Centre; Main Street THC Canada at 115-4368 Main Street in Village North; Spiritleaf Whistler at 103-2011 Innsbruck Drive in Creekside; and A Little Bud at 1-1050 Millar Creek Road in Function Junction.
According to This is Cannabis owner Cody Les, the company is working closely with the RMOW to understand the municipality’s timelines, procedures and application process.
“We’re working hard to open as efficiently as we can, but also following staff direction, so that we’re doing everything that they’re asking of us, making sure we’re checking all the boxes and working at a pace they’re comfortable with,” Les said.
Les didn’t have an exact timeline for his store’s opening, but noted the approved cannabis shops will likely open at different times depending on permitting, renovations and other processes.
“I think you’ll see a bit of a disparity when these doors open. Obviously, everybody wants to hit their [opening] targets, but following the actual permitting process we have to follow now to open is not exactly an easy task, either,” Les said.
“I don’t think you’ll see all four open in a week, for example; I think they’ll be a little bit spread out, but time will tell if that prediction is accurate or not.”
A Little Bud’s marketing director, Nick Swanson, echoed this sentiment, saying the company is unsure when its Function Junction location will open to the public, as it requires renovations to be completed.
“For us … it’s construction. Whistler received our plans the same way they received them for Spiritleaf, This is Cannabis and THC. So now we just begin on the process and eagerly await the day they tell us we can open the doors,” Swanson said.
“They could send out an email tomorrow and say, ‘here’s your TUPs.’ As soon as it’s built, inspected and ready to go, open the doors… There’s a lot of incentive for it to be open sooner rather than later because right now there are four businesses in Whistler sitting empty.”
Spiritleaf Cannabis owner Jeff Sweetnam said the goal is to open this fall. However, that timeline depends on permitting approvals and completing renovations that are more complex for larger locations such as Spiritleaf’s Creekside shop.
“We are currently in the build-out phase. As of July 1, our general contractor will be getting all of the permits for demolition and construction,” Sweetnam said. “So we’re hoping to be open at or around ski season. It’s going to be difficult, right? It’s going to take four to six months. I’m hoping at the end of October we’re open, but that, of course, is all depending on their permitting process.”
While the remaining permitting process and renovations may slow things down, once open, the businesses must navigate a challenging labour landscape as Whistler continues to face a worker shortage.
The companies expect to hire between nine and 15 employees, and wages for the four approved stores are well within Whistler’s living wage, one of the main commitments the RMOW expected applicants to adhere to in their applications.
While there may be challenges with finding employees due to the lack of available housing in Whistler, cannabis shop owners are optimistic they will find the right staff and are eager to begin operating in the community.
“We’re really excited to show Whistler what we can do; we’ve got a really great staff,” Sweetnam said.
“We’ve got a great store, and we can’t wait to open.
