Dankr.ca – Your Toronto Connection
Article by BlogTO
Anyone who’s walked down a main street in Toronto lately can attest to the fact that a glut of cannabis stores continue to pop up around the city, with multiple locations crowding a single neighbourhood or even one block.
According to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s latest records, there are 232 Toronto dispensaries in various stages of application — including authorized to open — plus another 48 in North York, 47 in Scarborough, 32 in Etobicoke and 13 in East York at the time of publication.
Though the outlets may be enthusiastically welcomed by weed fans, the various brands are obviously facing stiff competition from one another, and now also some pushback from local politicians, including Toronto Mayor John Tory.
Tory has expressed his support of Conservative MPP for Scarborough-Agincourt Aris Babikian, who is a vocal opponent of any and all cannabis retailers in his riding, calling recent withdrawals of some applications “a great victory” for residents.
Babikian has been calling on the provincial government to tighten up its process for reviewing proposed dispensaries, which he says are “mushrooming” in number and causing neighbourhoods to “suffer” as a result.
