Ontario to double its number of cannabis stores again

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) announced that it would once again double the pace at which retail stores are opening cannabis.

In September, the agency committed to doubling its approval rate and authorizing 40 stores per month. Citing government directives, the CAJO now reports that it will issue 80 authorizations per month.

According to the agency, more than 1,100 applications for store openings are pending. The CAJO plans to contact retail applicants over the next two weeks to inform them of the new date for issuing their store opening permits.

«It’s great to see the CAJO double the number of retail licenses again,» said George Smitherman, president and CEO of the Canadian Cannabis Council. «It’s great for customers like me who have to drive 30 minutes, and it’s great for retailers who have put so much on the line,» said Smitherman.

However, the province will need to pay close attention to how it manages cannabis. Earlier this week, a report by the Auditor General of Ontario revealed that the AGCO was not «properly monitoring the movement of recreational cannabis in retail stores.». According to the report, Between September 2019 and July 2020, cannabis retailers in Ontario had 84,228 fewer units of cannabis on hand than were recorded in their inventory systems.

Just under 300 licensed cannabis stores are currently open in Ontario, placing the province just behind British Columbia and Alberta, which leads the country with just under 550 cannabis stores.

Quebec, the country's second-most populous province, has authorized fewer than 50 retail stores and is expected to triple over the next three years.