Two unlicensed cannabis shops shuttered by police in west end
Posted Feb 26, 2026 01:57:59 PM.
Last Updated Feb 27, 2026 10:11:41 AM.
Officers searched two storefronts in connection with an unlicensed cannabis investigation and subsequently shuttered the ‘businesses.’
According to a press release, two search warrants were carried out in the city’s west end on Feb. 20. This followed reports that the stores were operating without licences, contrary to the Cannabis Control Act. The first raid happened at 9:25 a.m. in the 200 block of Richmond Road with support from multiple units within the force.
One employee was charged under the Ontario Cannabis Control Act in relation to the bust. The same day, officers also executed a warrant at a store in the 300 block of Athlone Avenue, but the store had already closed.
Both illegal dispensaries shared the same landlord.
The case is ongoing as police will work with regulatory partners to ensure the safety of the communities.
Illegal market small but still present
Data from Health Canada states that in 2023, 72 per cent of cannabis users reported getting their product from a legal source (storefront or online), yet only 3 per cent reported getting their product from an illegal source.
Beena Goldenberg, the CEO of Organigram Global, said the problem is that many consumers do not know which storefronts and websites are legitimate.
“They think that it’s legal and they’re clicking on it and they’re using their credit card, it’s being shipped to them and they have no idea it’s an illicit product,” she said.
A Statistics Canada survey found the illicit market still accounts for 30 per cent of cannabis sales.
“We’re competing against that illicit market who don’t pay excise taxes, that don’t adhere to the regulations, that don’t have all these extra costs,” Goldenberg said.
According to the Abacus Data poll, 43 per cent of Canadians want tougher enforcement against the illegal market to recover lost revenue and protect consumers.
