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In the final days before the City of Vancouver’s deadline for unsuccessful marijuana dispensary applicants to shut down, some rejected shop owners said they plan to stay open and “stick to their guns.”

B.C. Pain Society owner Chuck Varabioff was one of 176 who applied last year for a dispensary licence. Then, he was one of 62 rejected applicants to appeal to Vancouver’s board of variance, and in February, his appeal was one of the first heard.

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The appeal was unsuccessful, and Varabioff received a 60-day notice from the city advising him to close his Commercial Drive operation by this Friday, April 29.

But, he said Monday: “I’m operating now, I’m going to be operating Sunday, I’m going to be operating next week, and I’m going to be operating on Christmas Day.”

Varabioff said city employees told him he could expect bylaw fines for operating without a business licence.

“They wouldn’t tell me how much (the fines will be), but if they want to come in, I will hand them 30 post-dated cheques for the next month and I’ll pay my fines,” he said.