Cannabis in Saskatoon
Saskatchewan bans cannabis consumption in all public places, so in Saskatoon the only legal place to use it is private property. What the city controls is where stores go: at least 160 metres from each other and 60 metres from schools, parks and other places used by children.
Where can you consume cannabis in Saskatoon?
Only on private property. The provincial Cannabis Control (Saskatchewan) Act prohibits consumption in any public place, and the city amended its Smoking Control Bylaw to match (see the Saskatchewan rules). Saskatoon Police enforce both. The city has no designated consumption areas or lounges, and landlords and condo boards can ban cannabis in their buildings.
How does Saskatoon regulate cannabis stores?
Council approved cannabis zoning on June 25, 2018, after a public fight over Broadway. Staff first proposed a 160-metre buffer from schools, parks, community centres, libraries and child care centres, relaxed to 60 metres on Broadway. School divisions objected because two schools sit on that strip, and council voted the bylaw down in May. It came back as a city-wide 60-metre buffer from those sensitive uses.
A separate licensing rule keeps stores 160 metres apart, measured property line to property line, and the city must refuse a licence inside that distance. Stores are allowed in certain commercial, mixed-use and industrial zones and must be standalone cannabis shops.
Licence fees tell a story of their own. Council first set a $20,000 fee for a store's first year and $10,000 a year to renew, to cover expected staff costs. In August 2019 council voted 6-4 to cut renewals to the standard business rate. Today the bylaw charges $550 to open and $95 a year to renew.
| Rule | Distance or amount |
|---|---|
| From schools, parks, community centres, libraries, child care centres | 60 m |
| From another cannabis store | 160 m, property line to property line |
| City licence, first year | $550 (was $20,000 in 2018) |
| City licence, annual renewal | $95 (was $10,000 in 2018) |
What's the history of legal cannabis in Saskatoon?
Before legalization, the best-known local case was the October 2015 police raid on a medical dispensary, the Saskatchewan Compassion Club, where four people were charged. Police said selling without a licence remained illegal whatever Ottawa planned.
In 2018 Saskatchewan handed out store permits by lottery, and Saskatoon got seven, the most of any community. None of them was ready on October 17, 2018, so Saskatoon buyers drove to Martensville, about 20 km north, where a store opened that day. Unlicensed sellers kept going after legalization: one Second Avenue shop was raided three times between December 2018 and February 2019. The province removed the cap on store numbers in September 2020, and new stores followed.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| June 2018 | Saskatoon wins 7 permits in the provincial lottery |
| June 25, 2018 | Council approves zoning with a 60 m buffer |
| October 17, 2018 | Legalization; no Saskatoon store ready, buyers go to Martensville |
| Dec 2018 to Feb 2019 | Police raid an unlicensed downtown shop three times |
| August 27, 2019 | Council cuts the $10,000 renewal fee to the standard rate |
| September 2020 | Province removes the cap on store numbers |
What should visitors to Saskatoon know?
Plan on using cannabis only where you're staying, and check the hotel or rental's policy first, since public use is banned everywhere in the province. You can fly within Canada with up to 30 grams, but taking any amount across an international border is illegal. For what's in a product, see how to read a cannabis label.
