More than two dozen Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) employees will not be laid-off, despite the government’s plan to privatize the sale of Cannabis.
Finance Minister Vic Fedeli said the 50 employees hired by OCS will all be “offered” government positions in the months ahead.
The OCS was gearing up to open at least four cannabis retail outlets this year, but work on those plans ground to a halt once the Progressive Conservative government took office in June.
Instead, when legalization comes into effect on Oct. 17, the OCS will be turned into an online-only model while the government begins consultations on how to privatize the retail arm.
Those retailers are expected to open on April 1, 2019.
Fedeli says the $6.7-million spent by the OCS “represents all the costs to date,” although there is expected to be significant savings moving ahead because the government won’t have to lease locations for 150 physical stores or hire additional employees to operate them.
The finance minister also expects some of the 50 OCS workers will be “scooped up” by private retailers because of their extensive training in Cannabis products.
