A public hearing is being held at Lacombe City Hall tonight on proposed zoning regulations for legal cannabis retailers.

It takes place at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers, and elected officials could also give second and third readings to a bylaw that would make effective recommendations from the city's Cannabis Readiness Committee.

The proposed regulations are considered by many to be less restrictive than those being proposed in surrounding communities, with cannabis retail a permitted use in two commercial districts and discretionary in three others.

"Business-friendly," is how one councillor put it, and one person who will be paying close attention to tonight's meeting will be Nick Kuzyk, chief strategy officer for High Tide.

High Tide hopes to open Canna Cabana, a marijuana dispensary in downtown Lacombe. The Calgary-based company is hoping to build a retail franchise across the country.

Kuzyk said their application for Lacombe was the first to be completed.

“The components of the application came together the quickest and so either through luck or hard work or both, it was a milestone for the company,” Kuzyk said.

He said the location on 50 Street has met all city requirements and the company is waiting to hear council’s final decision on proposed zoning regulations.

“The second step is to make sure that our signage and our design is respectful enough of the community and is discrete,” Kuzyk said.

The retail store is across from the YU-Turn Youth Centre. Kuzyk said they are aware of that underage people will be nearby.

“There isn’t anything with this particular store that would be more attractive than others to underage youth, and we take that very seriously,” he said. “This is the beginning of hopefully a long relationship and we have to respect the rules and regulations and not attract underage youth or do anything to rub people the wrong way.”