Elkford is set to have its first cannabis shop open up this summer.
Elk Valley Cannabis will be located at 814 Michel Rd., and is planned to open by mid-August, according to owner Ryan Swayze.
The application to open up shop in town has been working its way through the District of Elkford’s bureaucracy for several months, with a public consultation on the matter concluding in mid-March. The responses were mixed.
At a district meeting on May 24, council voted in favour of sending a letter of recommendation for the shop to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch for a non-medical cannabis store license.
Interior renovations for the location at the Kootenay Market are beginning on June 6, Swayze said.
Swayze and his father Charles have been in the cannabis business together since 2019, when they opened The Source Cannabis in Lethbridge.
In July 2021, the pair opened up an Elk Valley Cannabis shop in Sparwood, which was the first cannabis store outside of Fernie in the Elk Valley at the time.
“We’re definitely happy to be there. We’re excited to get to Elkford as well,” Swayze said.
The shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, and is expected to bring seven jobs to the community.
The Free Press asked Swayze to respond to those who might feel apprehensive about a cannabis shop coming to town, and he said: “I really don’t think that it’s going to affect anyone’s daily life. It should be a good, positive thing for the community and bring some jobs.”
He said they’re excited to come to Elkford.
“We see a lot of clients from Elkford, so were excited to get closer to them.”
READ MORE: Sparwood’s first cannabis store to open July 2
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