Photo: Dustin Godfrey

No court injunction has yet been invoked for a Penticton cannabis dispensary that has kept its doors open despite a cancelled business licence.

The Rush In and Finish Cafe's business licence was cancelled in a 5-2 vote on July 19, and fines have steadily increased for the store since that time.

The city's bylaw enforcement is now handing out daily $500 tickets to the shop, and Mayor Andrew Jakubeit had previously said the city would consider a court action against the shop if fines didn't work.

However, Jakubeit said on Wednesday that Jukka Laurio has been attempting to dispute the tickets in court, which Jakubeit said rings of a "sort of delay tactic."

Laurio has previously referred to the fines as a way for the city to gain some revenue from his business.

However, Jakubeit said if that's Laurio's attitude toward the fines, then "tell him to pay them."

He said the process to get the court's backing, which costs time and money, has not yet begun. He noted that council will meet next week, and the shop could find itself the subject of discussions of whether or not to pursue the shop through the court.

"Right now I don't have a definitive timeline on when we're going to ramp it up to injunctive action, or if that is our only option," he said.

However, he noted that Laurio's resistance to council may bode poorly for him when city regulations do come in that would tolerate pot shops in the city.

"Just like any business, they have to be in good standing to get their licence renewed," he said. 

He added that with provisions from the city likely to come into place in the coming weeks, it may be best for the city to continue to fine the shop until they know whether or not it will fit the bill of city regulations.

"Whether he, or others, would fall into those provisions, and what those provisions are, I think that's the next thing," he said.

Laurio has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Two other dispensaries in the city – Avitas down Main Street and Green Essence on Martin Street – both closed their doors after failing to persuade council to allow their business licences to continue earlier in August.