Victoria pot shops escape hefty licensing fee

Marijuana dispensaries in Victoria will not have to pay a premium of tens of thousands of dollars for a business licence as their Vancouver counterparts do under proposals from city staff.

While business licence costs are yet to be determined, city staff are recommending a fee based on cost recovery — likely in the range of $4,000 to $5,000.

Mayor Lisa Helps said the sooner the new business licensing bylaw is brought in, the…