Adjacent landowner calls for new regulations for pot greenhouses
BY REBECCA LOTT Special to the VOICE
Anyone who has stopped at the corner of Balfour Street and Highway 20 over the last few months has likely gotten a snoot-full of skunk. David Ireland is afraid that this odor will soon be in his backyard. The Fenwick resident bought a farmhouse to semi-retire in a couple of years ago. He has made a considerable investment in the property, just adding a new front porch. A farmer, he plans to grow hops on his three acres out back.
Ireland recently discovered that the property beside him at 770 Foss Road, former greenhouses, were sold from Woodstock Biomed to a company named Leviathan Cannabis Group, Inc. They intend to start building within two to three weeks. The land sits in the southern portion of Pelham.
Ireland was hesitant to come forward, but feels compelled to let people know this is happening. He contacted the Town and was told there wasn’t much they could do. They said there are no special regulations for pot farms in Pelham and they are treated just as greenhouses would be. There are greenhouse regulations that were written many years ago for vegetable and flower growers, but Ireland insists this is different. With it being election time, he feels politicians are looking the other way right now.
When Ireland got no answers from the Town of Pelham, he decided to do some research on his own. He reached out to Leviathan CAO, Martin Doanne. When Ireland called, the phone was answered, “Jekyll and Hyde.” (This is their branding company, according to the Leviathan website.) Doanne told Ireland he would be willing to meet with neighbours to address their concerns, but a meeting is yet to be scheduled due to vacation conflicts. Ireland says that building is set to commence in September.
Ireland is concerned about the amount of light that grow-op facilities emit at night, for two reasons. The first being the stars that they can now enjoy and the second being how it will affect his plants. Hops are light sensitive in that they bloom at night and need darkness to be successful. Ireland’s worry is the development of the plants will be impeded by the excessive light from the new facility.
“Then they produce nothing,” he said.
Ireland is also concerned about the “eyesore.” He says that the facility is set to be a huge operation that not many people know about. The facility is expanding to twice its current size. He is also very concerned about the smell. Doanne assured him there would be no smell.
“The entire village, plus DSBN’s Wellington Heights school and home daycares in the area will be affected by the smell,” Ireland said.
“I’m looking out for every person in town. It’s like I’m David, and we’re fighting Goliath. It’s like fighting an impossible battle.”
(In fact, in Judeo-Christian tradition, a Leviathan is a sea monster, referenced in the Biblical Book of Job. The word later came to be used to refer to enormous sea creatures generally, particularly whales.)
Ireland would like to see the Town or the Region of Niagara put into practice some strict new regulations for these types of facilities.
“They shouldn’t be allowing these types of facilities to set up shop in the middle of a populated area,” he said. “It really is difficult.”
Leviathan is an international company that produces marijuana for recreational use. This will be the seventh grow operation in Pelham to date. Many greenhouses in Niagara are being sold for fast cash to pot growing facilities and the trend has become a contentious issue across the region.
