More pot shops likely headed to Ottawa as Ontario announces 50 more licenses
Posted Jul 3, 2019 05:21:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Ottawa could soon be home to a few more cannabis shops, as the provincial government has announced it will be allowing 50 new stores across Ontario.
Government officials said Wednesday that it would hold a lottery for 42 retail storesm while the remaining eight will be located on First Nation reserves.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said he's opened to the idea of having more shops in the city, considering how the last lottery has worked out.
“We started off with just the three licenses this year, which I thought was reasonable, [I was thinking] 'Let's start off with a smaller number and see how it goes,'” he explained. “There have been some minor parking issues around some of them, but by-and-large I think it's worked quite well.
The only thing the mayor is concerned about is clusters of shops taking over certain areas of the city.
“They should be spread out,” added Watson. “They city is large enough to accomodate different markets in different areas. And we'll have to wait and see because it really is in the hands of the province now, to see how the lottery runs.”
Those interested in opening a cannabis store in Ottawa are invited to apply on the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario website between August 7 and 9.
