The Town of Banff has given the green light to five cannabis shops, but ruled they must be mostly out of sight.
A requirement the shops not have windows visible on the street has relegated most of them to basements, a regulation that seems at odds with the mountain resort townâs tourism and party vibe, said Dave Martyn, president of Starbuds Canada, which was granted one of the locations.
âBanff is as restrictive as anywhere weâve operated, and weâre looking at 40 locations in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan,â said Martyn.
Even so, he said, the fit for cannabisâ Rocky Mountain high with skiing, snowboarding, sightseeing and partying could mean his store will set the pace for the rest of the chain.
âWe think itâs going to do phenomenal,â said Martyn, who noted the B.C. ski resort community of Whistler has banned cannabis shops.
âWe think itâs going to drive extra tourism compared to resort places that ban it . . . it has the potential to be our No. 1 location.â
The storefront restriction has nothing to do with the town frowning on pot shops but rather responds to Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) demands that the store windows be obscured to protect youths.
That requirement clashes with Banffâs own design guidelines that windows must be clear, said town Coun. Corrie DiManno, who helped approve the stores last week.
âWeâre trying to circumnavigate the AGLCâs restrictions,â she said.
âThis is now a legal product and we want to be open to that and include it in our offerings.â
If anything, the townâs storefront guidelines are helping fill long-vacant commercial real estate, said DiManno.
âItâs breathing life into those basement spaces,â she said.
With a population of about 7,800, those five shops amount to one for every 1,560 people â and since no limit has been set on their number, there could be more.
By comparison, Calgary, with its 24 AGLC-sanctioned stores, has a shop for every 53,000 people.
But with more than four million people annually flocking to Banff National Park, the scenic town is an ideal spot to sell pot, said Adam Coates, chief commercial officer for Westleaf, which has secured the 5,000-square-foot site of the former Hoodoo Night Club.
âWeâre looking at the tourist traffic, we view our Banff location as our flagship â itâs our biggest store by square footage,â said Coates, whose Prairie Records shops will combine music with cannabis.
The areaâs wilderness combined with the townâs recreational and artistic culture âis near and dear to our brand,â he added.
The storeâs basement location, he said, is also a perfect fit given its historic pedigree.
But he noted none of the Banff stores will be able to sell cannabis until the AGLC lifts or relaxes its moratorium on new shop licences imposed in response to a cannabis supply shortage.
As in Calgary, consumption of cannabis in public spaces is banned in the Banff townsite, but use of the drug is allowed in most other places in the national park, including campgrounds and hiking trails.
Tourism agencies in Alberta say theyâre steering clear of promoting any kind of so-called cannabis tourism.
It remains to be seen how cannabis contributes to the visitor experience or numbers in the international mountain destination, said Angela Anderson, spokeswoman for Banff and Lake Louise Tourism.
âItâs too early to comment on what effect itâll have on tourism,â she said.
âWe believe itâs an industry that should operate here.â
on Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn