A smoke shop owner in St. Albert believes a development officer’s decision to require an alteration to his exterior sign was politically motivated.
Chad Wentworth, owner of the Chad Smoke Shop, appealed a decision from the city’s development office that prevented him from installing a sign with the number 420 in it.
Overhead fascia signs require a development permit in St. Albert and the officer who signed off on this one, made it conditional on the number being removed, noting it could be confusing from an addressing perspective. Wentworth’s shop address does not include 420 and the number is a popular reference to marijuana.
The development officer’s decision came down on June 29, was appealed on July 16 and was upheld at the subdivision and development appeal board on Aug. 10.
Wentworth said he appealed the decision because he has been able to put up similar signs in all of his nine other stores in Alberta.
“My logo is a branded name that is all across Alberta and I don’t feel it is right that one of my stores, out of all nine, has to take 420 out of the name,” he said.
He was not able to attend the hearing in person and has asked the board to consider rescheduling it to see if he can appear in person to make his case.
Wentworth said he doesn’t believe the concern was an addressing issue, but an attempt to silence him because of the drug reference.
“I think that is a reason that they came up with to avoid having it put up. I feel the reason is that 420 is in reference to marijuana,” he said.
Wentworth said the number is a subtle sign and could be much more overt.
“There are certain people who come into my shop who don’t have any interest in buying any product that is related to marijuana in any way. So in respect to a wide variety of my customers I put 420 instead of going all out and putting a marijuana leaf,” he said.
Shortly after the development officer first issued the permit requiring the number be removed, city council unanimously approved a motion to have administration come back with a report on ways to “control or prohibit the selling of paraphernalia that is best connected to the illegal drug industry.”
That report is due back in front of city council on Oct. 31.
Mayor Nolan Crouse, who supported the motion, said at the time of its passing he would be happy if both of the stores in St. Albert that sell pipes and bongs leave town.
Crouse said this week that he had nothing to do with the development officer’s decision or the appeal board’s ruling and was barely aware of the situation.
“I had no contact with anyone on that matter,” he said. “I had no input into that at all.”
Wentworth is also upset about a letter Crouse sent to seven municipalities where he operates smoke shops. In the letter dated July 22, Crouse details the motion city council passed and then encourages other mayors to visit the shops in their jurisdictions.
Crouse said the letter was a routine part of sharing ideas and initiatives that all municipalities do.
“The municipalities in the province are sending letters on dozens of topics back and forth so different municipalities know what each other is doing,” he said. “We are always sharing with each other.”
Wentworth said he felt the letter was a personal target on him.
“I think the mayor has a big problem with what I sell and he wants to do everything in his power to make it hard for me to do business,” he said. “I am not very happy with that and I have my legal department working on it.”
Crouse insists his intent was only to share information.
“We share knowledge, we share what each other is doing.”
