Here's why the cannabis market in Toronto is facing chronic growing pains
Toronto has more than 400 legal cannabis retailers, but an industry that was once experiencing a “green rush” is now finding itself amidst chronic struggles.
“Right now it’s just being run and decisions are being made without involving retailers and without really making decisions in alignment with us, and that’s I think a huge failure in the market right now,” said Vivianne Wilson, founder of GreenPort Cannabis on College St. in Toronto’s Little Italy.
Wilson says there ought to be a third party to regulate and advocate for retailers and producers dealing with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), which regulates retail licenses, and the Ontario Cannabis Store, which is the only legal wholesale supplier to retailers.
The federal government is reviewing the Cannabis Act, which outlined the legalization of marijuana in Canada. It also downloaded many regulations around supply and consumption to the provinces.
In Ontario, it is the AGCO that oversees handing out licenses. In the beginning, a lottery system limited the number of retailers, but store owners and managers tell CTV News Toronto there are now no protections from having several shops open in the same area, so long as they remain over 250 meters from a school.
“We knew there would be over-saturation,” Wilson said, and that was articulated to the AGCO.
Now there are fears many of the stores that have opened will close, with about a third of cannabis sales remaining in the illegal market, Canadian Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Thursday in announcing the legislative review.
A lawyer who has represented legal pot shop retailers says she has received several calls from Toronto retailers being undercut by the black market.
“There are people who have joined the legal market in good faith and got the licences to become retailers and yet they sometimes find themselves situated beside an illegal pot shop, that is doing better business than them and often probably selling better products,” Kendra Stanyon said.
A major problem the barrister says is what she called a “chokehold” on the products available, such as with edible cannabis, where smaller producers that wanted to be part of the legal market have been left out.
The review of the Cannabis Act, according to a summary paper, will focus “on aspects of the framework within areas of federal jurisdiction.”
That won’t help many in the business, Wilson said.
“This review of the cannabis act at a federal level is not going to change what they’re doing at a provincial level, so we’re going to continue to see stores close, unfortunately,” she surmised.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Ontario urges mpox testing amid spike in cases
Ontario health officials are urging public health units to test for mpox, the viral disease formerly known as monkeypox, amid a spike of confirmed cases in the province.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
'Don't expect any deals:' Expert says stores may not offer steep discounts on post-Easter chocolate
Those looking to snap up cheap treats at their local grocery store next week following the Easter long weekend could be in for a bit of a surprise as the rising cost of cocoa continues to drive up the price of chocolate, one expert says.