'Still have more work to do'
Eras Tour comes to an end
Hwy 3 now cleared
Wide-scale death of trees
Holiday travel stays local
'A little place in paradise'
National monuments added
Threats in lobster industry
Celebrating Assad's fall
Telus in court fighting order
Cuts won't cause recession
TikTok ban upheld
Olynyk returns to court
Rockets bounce back
Crusaders upend Warriors
Princess returns to public
Amber Heard is expecting
Body problems started at 10
UPDATE 5:10 p.m.
Most pot shops along Westside Road have reopened after being closed on Tuesday, but one shop says it's planning to fight the police raid.
Castanet reporter Ben Low-On was out Wednesday morning where shops remained closed, but later in the day the stores reopened.
Garrett Parslow with The Greenhouse On The Mile told Castanet that three shops, including his, were raided yesterday. Other stores said they shut down out of an abundance of caution.
He estimates about $130,000 worth of merchandise was taken by RCMP and the Community Safety Unit. He says he hired a lawyer this morning.
"We're trying to see where we stand with the legitimacy of all this legality, and see what we can do," said Parslow.
Parlsow's shop was full of empty shelves Wednesday, but still helped multiple customers who came in the 15 minutes Castanet spent in the shop.
"I'm open today, just like normal for business, and I'm gonna continue," said Parslow.
Most shops had reopened as of about 4 p.m. Wednesday.
ORIGINAL 12:49 p.m.
Pot shops along Westside Road remain closed today following yesterday's mass shut down.
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General confirmed that the Community Safety Unit (CSU) carried out enforcement at the so-called Green Mile near Vernon yesterday.
Speculation over the cause of the shutdown continues to sweep through the community, but authorities say they are unable to provide information or comment on any specifics about action taken.
Instead, it gave an overview of actions CSU takes against unlicenced cannabis retailers and producers under the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act (CCLA).
“All along, the aim has been to achieve voluntary compliance; however, we have been very clear that CSU will employ a progressive enforcement approach against those who continue to operate without a licence,” said the ministry in an email.
“Escalation of enforcement action is determined on a case-by-case basis and considers factors such as public safety, the integrity of the legal market, and partner and community concerns.”
The shops have for years been selling black-market cannabis and products not-approved by Health Canada, despite the protests of legal cannabis store operators, so it is not clear what prompted the crackdown now. Some of the stores have also been selling psilocybin mushrooms, which has not been tolerated off-reserve by police in the Okanagan.
Castanet reached out to the Okanagan Indian Band for information, but communications officer Nick Nilsen said the band is deferring questions to the ministry.
The ministry also noted that the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act applies across the province, including on lands governed by First Nations. All the close cannabis stores are on OKIB land, but there has been no enforcement on other on-reserve pot shops in the region.
