This is Where Cannabis Stores in Ontario Will Be Located

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Published January 9, 2019 at 5:15 pm

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You may have heard that recently, the Ontario government announced that only 25 stores will be allowed to open in the province starting in April.

Municipalities have until January 22 to decide whether they will opt in or opt out of the cannabis store regime.

According to an email from the provincial Attorney General’s office to insauga.com, Ontario will be divided into five regions based on population size.

  • Region 1 includes Toronto only and will have up to five stores.

  • Region 2 includes the broader GTA: Durham; York; Peel; Halton and will have up to six stores.

  • Region 3 covers Eastern Ontario in areas such as: Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry; Prescott and Russell; Ottawa; Leeds and Grenville; Lanark; Frontenac; Lennox and Addington; Hastings; Prince Edward; Northumberland; Peterborough; Kawartha Lakes; Simcoe; Muskoka; Haliburton; Renfrew and will have up to five stores.

  • Region 4 covers Western Ontario in areas such as: Dufferin-Wellington; Hamilton; Niagara; Haldimand-Norfolk; Brant; Waterloo; Perth; Oxford; Elgin; Chatham-Kent; Essex; Lambton; Middlesex; Huron; Bruce; Grey; Manitoulin and will have up to seven stores.

  • Region 5 covers Northern Ontario: Nipissing; Parry Sound; Sudbury; Greater Sudbury; Timiskaming; Cochrane; Algoma; Thunder Bay; Rainy River; Kenora and will have up to two stores.

The email also outlined how the process of allocating cannabis stores will go.

Licensees will select the municipality within their identified region for store siting. Store authorizations will only be available in municipalities with more than 50,000 people.

According to the government, the previously announced lottery model selection is only temporary “until such time that there is sufficient supply from federally licensed producers to meet market demand.” The restriction to 25 stores only was due to a shortage in supply of cannabis availability in Canada.

“By using a Fairness Monitor, the AGCO will ensure that the lottery process is transparent. The lottery will treat all applicants the same, regardless of the size of the business.”

Mississauga has already opted out, but it would be interesting to see if Brampton opts in along with Toronto. If so, then this city’s northerly neighbour would be a prime candidate for a lion’s share of those stores in the GTA.

What do you think of the number of cannabis stores allowed in Ontario? Do you think it’s enough or should there be more?

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