WEDNESDAY APRIL 15, 2015
HOT TOPIC
CRANBROOK FIRE HALL FATE
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RCMP REPORT
DRUGS SEIZED IN CRANBROOK
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MEDICAL MARIJUANA
A growth industry
Couple wants to open medical cannabis dispensary in Kimberley C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
NICOLE KORAN PHOTO
The Selkirk Storm baseball team is practicing in advance of heading to Trail this weekend for a tournament. Above Brayden Farquhar takes batting practice.
Bountiful couple Gas tax fund applications appear in court City looks for TOWNSMAN STAFF
Two defendants representing themselves in a case out of Bountiful were in Cranbrook Supreme Court on Monday to fix a date for trial. Brandon Blackmore and Emily Blackmore are facing charges of removal of child from Canada under Section 273.3 (2) of the Canadian Criminal Code. Oler is facing three counts, while Blackmore is facing two counts and both are representing themselves. The two have been ordered to stand trial, but are in the process of determining wether or not to file a Rowbotham Application, which can
be filed for people facing serious and complex criminal charges who have been denied legal aid but cannot afford a lawyer. Oler and Blackmore will be back in Supreme Court on May 4, 2015, to fix a firm date for trial, which has been tentatively set a year from now. The charges stem from the investigation of Peter Wilson, a special prosecutor who was appointed to investigate any criminal offences under the polygamy provisions of the criminal code in January 2012. Wilson approved the charges in August 2014 after a two-year investigation.
funding for wastewater treatment plant, Gerry Sorensen paving C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
Kimberley Council has decided to “shoot for the moon” in terms of grant requests, said CAO Scott Sommerville at the regular meeting of Council on Monday evening. Council has submitted two projects to the 2015 Gas Tax Strategic Priorities Fund, which can provide up to 100 per cent funding for certain projects. After much discussion at the Commit-
tee of the Whole meeting, the two projects selected are the Gerry Sorensen Roadway Reconstruction and the Kimberley Wastewater Treatment Plant. These are both multi-million dollar projects. The replacement of the treatment plant has been looming on the horizon for some time now and it will have to be tackled in the next five or six years. Planning and engineering design alone could take a couple of years. The repaving of Gerry Sorensen Way is something Mayor Don McCormick has been talking about since he was elected to Council in 2011. McCormick has always been of the opinion that
it is one of the most important streets in Kimberley, as every tourist eventually makes their way up to the Kimberley Alpine Resort. “Gerry Sorensen Way is in terrible shape,” McCormick told Mayor’s Lunch attendees last week. “It reflects poorly on us. But it’ a $6.5 million project. Whole sections need to be dug out and the base replaced.” McCormick said the City was looking at two to three years to do the entire stretch. “But there is a sense of urgency to get it fixed,” he said. Other, smaller infrastructure projects, such as pressure reducing stations, are being applied for under different grant
Medical marijuana is a growth industry, says Tamara Duggan of Kimberley. Duggan and her husband, Rod, were at Kimberley City Council on Monday evening, informing Council of their plans to open Tamarack Dispensaries, purveyors of high quality medicinal cannabis products, in Kimberley. Medical marijuana can be distributed through Health Canada, but that only allows for the purchase of dried plant product from authorized growers. But Duggan says there are many who could benefit from the medicinal qualities of cannabis who don’t wish to inhale it. Their plan is to promote the use of edible cookies, butters, oils and tinctures in a storefront that is “upscale and clinical”. “Image is everything in the dispensary business,” Duggan said. “We will be as presentable and professional as any pharmacy.” Tamarack Dispensaries will be a member of the Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries. The CAMCD’s vice president is Dana Larsen, who headed up the decriminalization of marijuana petition last year. “I like to say we are
Tamarack Dispensaries would sell cannabis products that do not need to be inhaled, such as Canna Butter.
not legislated,” Larsen said. “When dispensaries have gone to court, the court consistently recognizes that we’re helping people, that the federal government’s medical marijuana program is a failure; and they are not willing to treat it like a serious crime.” “Government programs are simply not meeting people’s needs,” Duggan told Council. “It’s simply a matter of time before legislation will govern this industry. If it’s not us, it will be someone whose vision is different from ours.” In the meantime, the Duggans have consulted with local RCMP Constable Chris Newel. “We will work closely with the RCMP to ensure legitimacy and accountability in our business operations.” Newel said the RCMP would ensure the business operated within the laws and regulations set down by Federal Government and Health Canada. See CANNABIS, page