A view inside a Wiid Boutique store in Lumsden. (Submitted photo/ Landyn Uhersky)

By Nigel Maxwell

Open for business

District of Lakeland receives cannabis retail store application

Mar 10, 2021 | 8:00 AM

For the first time since passing a bylaw last summer to make room for a cannabis retail store, the District of Lakeland council has received its first application.

Wiid Boutique wants to set up a new store in the space currently occupied by Bear Country Fudge next to Ambrose Grocery. The ice cream store will be relocated across the parking lot next to Nica’s. Wiid Boutique Co-owner Landyn Uhersky told paNOW his partner in the venture is from the Prince Albert area and together they’ve been looking at gaps in the cannabis market.

“I know quite a few people that spend time at Emma Lake and I’ve gone camping there a few times. We just thought it would be a great opportunity,” he said.

Uhersky’s goal is to be open in time for May long weekend, but acknowledged he still has a number of hurdles to clear before that can happen, including municipal and provincial approval, not to mention meeting a number of security related guidelines laid out by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA).

There are currently two Wiid Boutique stores operating in Saskatchewan (Regina and Lumsden), with four additional applications in the works for the Regina and Regina Beach areas. Uhersky explained his goal to bring cannabis back to its roots, adding publicly traded cannabis retailers focus solely on profit and controlling the market.

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“You know, you see the headlines this retailer is now the largest in Canada, and the next month there’s other retailers that is now the largest in Canada. We’re kind of missing what brought us to this point and it’s that grassroots cannabis movement,” he said.

In addition to supporting community through donations, and providing benefits for all his locally-hired employees, Uhersky pledged his goal to look out for the environment by having all his stores over the next couple years get to net zero-energy usage.

“That’s what attracted me to the north as well. It’s a little piece of heaven that we want to keep that way,” he said.

At this stage, talks with the District of Lakeland have gone no farther than a public presentation to council. Administrator Tammy Knuttila explained what happens next is owners of property within 75 m. of the proposed store location will be sent letters and will have an opportunity to attend a public hearing on April 12.

“Council is looking forward to seeing what the public thinks,” she said.

Since the legalization of cannabis in Canada in October 2018, the SLGA has issued 60 cannabis retail permits to businesses across the province. Wiid Boutique was among the first to receive a permit.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell