Ontario’s Minister of Finance, Rod Phillips, and Attorney General, Doug Downey, today announced the next phase of the province’s cannabis stores, which will authorize an additional 42 private cannabis retail stores.

Similar to the first phase, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the provincial regulator for cannabis retail storefronts, will implement a second lottery system to issue the 42 licenses.

Interested parties should submit an expression of interest form online to the AGCO between August 7, 2019 at 12:01am and August 9 at 8pm.

For this phase, the government has outlined new pre-qualification requirements, which the government says will streamline the licensing process with the AGCO and help ensure the private retail stores are ready to open on time due to previous delays in store openings.

The pre-qualification requirements include:

• Prospective retailers must secure retail space for the cannabis retail store that is ready to open by October 2019;

• Access to $250,000 in capital that is required to open a store; and 

• Confirmation from a bank or credit union that the propsective retailer can obtain a Standby Letter of Credit for $50,000 within five business days of being selected 
   

Licensed retail stores may now open in any municipality regardless of population size if the municipality did not opt-out of the retail cannabis market.

The government also announced that up to eight retail cannabis stores will be located on First Nations reserves, where licenses will be issued in a separate first come, first serve basis.  

Ontario chose to phase in cannabis retail licensing in December due to the nation-wide cannabis shortage.

The lottery will take place on August 20^th, 2019.

For more information, please see below:

AGCO: New Lottery to be held for Cannabis Retail Store Authorizations in Ontario

AMCTO: Ontario to Phase in Cannabis Retail Licensing