Article by Colin Butler, CBC News Officials at London City Hall said they expect a spike in new pot shops after Ontario moved to scrap its cannabis retail lottery system in favour of an open market. The province made the announcement Thursday, saying the new rules would come into effect in January of 2020, promising that the Alcohol and Gaming ...

Article by James Jackson, Waterloo Region Record As three proposed retail cannabis locations in Waterloo Region work their way through the provincial licensing process, a fourth could soon be on its way. Kitchener-based cannabis producer James E. Wagner Cultivation (JWC) has unveiled plans to open a 2,000-square-foot retail store at its flagship growing facility at the corner of Homer Watson ...

Article by Ministry of the Attorney General The Government of Ontario is taking steps to move to an open market for retail cannabis stores beginning in January 2020. This will provide consumers with more choice and convenience and a safe, reliable supply of cannabis. “In response to the federal government’s decision to legalize cannabis, our government is determined to open ...

Article by Phil Tsekouras, CTV News The Ontario government has announced steps to allow more cannabis retail stores to open in January. In a news release issued Thursday, Attorney General Doug Downey said that opening the cannabis market in Ontario as “responsibly” as possible has always been the government’s “number one priority.” “We have said all along that opening more legal ...

Article by Vanmala Subramaniam, Financial Post The government of Ontario has announced it will abandon the current lottery system for cannabis retail and move towards an open licensing system beginning January 2020 that will see the removal of a cap on the number of private cannabis stores across the province. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the provincial ...

Article by David Yasvinski, Growth Op A new cannabis store is coming to Toronto’s Greektown and it’s doing everything it can to fit in. CANVAS, owned by local resident Helene Vassos, is trying to set itself apart from the competition by offering customers in the upscale neighbourhood a “boutique cannabis experience” that focuses on the customer. “We wanted to create ...

Article by Emma Spears, Growth Op The province of Ontario is considering amending or abolishing the randomized retail lottery system that is currently in place to select licensed pot shops. Only 24 outlets opened over the course of the first year of federal legalization, which came into force in October 2018. Consumers and industry workers alike (not to mention First Nations) have long criticized the Ford government’s ...

Article by Vanmala Subramaniam, Growth Op Cannabis retailers in Ontario sold the most cannabis of any province in the first year following legalization, even though there was only one online store and 24 brick-and-mortar stores in operation for most of that period, according to new Statistics Canada data. Ontario accounted for $217 million in recreational cannabis sales — or 24 ...

Article by Jacqueline Thorpe, Bloomberg News The world’s biggest brewer will kick off its push into cannabis-infused beverages with a lineup of flavored teas — Lavender Chamomile, Vanilla Rooibos and Peach Ginger Green. The “Everie” teas will contain 98% pure cannabidiol, the non-psychotropic ingredient in cannabis, with only a trace — 0.05 milligrams — of THC, the component that gets ...

Article by Jesse B. Staniforth, Leafly News In the legal Canadian cannabis industry, there may be no more controversial a figure than Aleafia board chair Julian Fantino—particularly not around Toronto’s Kensington Market neighbourhood, which can feel like the physical centre of Toronto cannabis culture. Fantino, detractors are quick to remember, used to oversee busts of dispensaries in the neighbourhood, but now his ...