A new owner of a B.C. cannabis shop was asked to take down the image of a famous mountie from the window.
Cannabis shops in B.C. must block out its windows, so the inside can’t be seen from the street.
While most shops use a plain white covering, Jeff Weaver chose a historical image that represented the Cranbrook area. That included the famous 1800’s mountie Sam Steele.
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“I see him as a figure of compromise and meeting people halfway,” Weaver told CBC. “I saw it as a tribute to the RCMP, to be honest.”
Within hours of being open last week, RCMP officers requested Weaver take the image down, stating the uniform is trademarked. It cannot be used without permission, a Cranbrook RCMP statement said.
“Local officials took steps to confirm the images use was in breach,” said the statement. “The owner of the business was not aware that the RCMP uniform is trademarked and as such cannot be used without the expressed permission of the national police force.”
B.C. History of Sam Steele
Steele was a well-known member of the North-West Mounted Police force (prior to the creation of the RCMP).
There’s even an annual Sam Steele Days festival in Cranbrook and a town close by called Fort Steele.
Weaver chose to put Steele’s image out there is because he believes the officer played an integral role in Cranbrook’s history.
Replacing the window covering will cost about $1,000. And while the shop owner first obliged, now Weaver hopes to fight it.
He is currently weighing his options of how to do so, but said he doesn’t want to seem disrespectful to RCMP.
He said he hopes to discuss it with them further and gain more information, to see what he can do.
If you like history, find out which Vancouver buildings were once the tallest in the British Empire. Or learn about the history behind White Rock (and the actual rock).
For more B.C. news, check out our News section.
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