A cannabis store that has been over a year in the works will finally be opening in Sidney after a council vote on Monday night.
Cindy Prendergast and Brad Styles, co-founders of the soon-to-be opened Happy Buddha cannabis store on 2410 Beacon Avenue, have been seeking a licence from council for their business since October of last year.
Their initial application was rejected in a four-three vote on October 28, 2019. Shortly afterwards, Prendergast and Styles took their fight to the BC Supreme Court.
Judge Jennfier Power ruled in favour of the Happy Buddha co-owners, instructing Sidney council to reconsider the application and also ordering that they retrieve resident feedback before making a decision.
A staff report to Sidney Council in September 2020 said that they received 347 public responses, 311 of which were in favour of licensing the cannabis store.
“We have all had quite a journey together over the last 18 months,” Pendergast said during Monday’s meeting. She thanked the community and her partners, Styles and Zack Pendergast, for their support.
Styles echoed her comments and added that the business will be a positive boon to Sidney. “We’ll be a great addition to the Sidney business community and to the town itself,” he said.
Among the other speakers to comment positively on the application was John Treleaven, a member of the Board of Directors for the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.
Treleaven said the Chamber’s membership supported Pendergast and Styles’ application and he personally praised the two for their hard work on the delayed process.
“I want to commend Brad and Cindy for the patience and diligence.” said Treleaven.
“They are well aware that they are moving into a heavily regulated industry, in which compliance is critical. This is going to be just fine.”
Ultimately, the majority of council agreed, with only one Councilor, Terri O’Keefe, voting against Happy Buddha’s license.
The store is currently undergoing a name change contest in response to negative feedback, and says they will be opening soon.
