The B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch has
confirmed it will pay application and business licensing fees to municipalities
for cannabis retail shops that are many thousands of dollars more expensive
than other business fees.
The province has paid the City of Kamloops for a
$5,000 business license and an application fee of $1,600 required to open a
government-owned cannabis retail store.
By contrast, a liquor store business license is
$196.
“We aren’t saying we would pay any fee,”said branch spokeswoman Vivana Zanocco. “The fees charged by municipalities could be a factor in deciding where the branch will locate government stores.”
