A city councillor in Calgary is trying to bring the city’s rules about cannabis sales at events in line with provincial rules put in place in 2024. 

As reported by the Calgary Herald, councillor Kourtney Penner says she will present a notice of motion at the city’s executive committee meeting on Tuesday, February 11. The motion will ask city administration to propose bylaw and business licence amendments to allow for cannabis to be sold at adult-only events.

Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) made regulatory changes in January 2024 to allow licensed cannabis retailers in the province to apply to the AGLC for a licence extension for the purposes of selling cannabis through a temporary store licence at minors-prohibited entertainment events or cannabis industry trade shows.

AGLC rules, however, also require municipal approval for the location of the temporary cannabis store and documentation from the event entity/organization, providing the cannabis licensee care and control of the location. 

If passed, the proposed changes in Calgary would pave the way for those kinds of licenses in the future. 

Penner tells the Calgary Herald that she wants to help “level the playing field” between alcohol and cannabis, since such sales are already allowed for alcohol sales at events. 

“If we look at alcohol sales, you can sell alcohol on site and consume on site,” she said. “That rule doesn’t exist for cannabis. For cannabis, you can’t bring your own but you’re allowed to purchase from a designated retailer who then has to walk through the site and bring it to you.”

“I think the irony (of me bringing this forward) is that these are not events I attend, nor do I use cannabis,” she added. “But this is really about enabling business and creating opportunities for businesses that are legally permissible.”

A Calgary cannabis retailer hosted a cannabis consumption space at the Badlands Music Festival in 2024 which included the ability to buy cannabis. Festival-goers could place an order for cannabis on the retailer’s website, which was then delivered to the cannabis garden at the festival.

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