Few applicants so far for retail pot licences

EDMONTON The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission has yet to see a flood of retail cannabis applications after they opened Tuesday morning.

There are a few in St. Albert and a handful in Calgary, with rural AGLC offices seeing virtually zero.

Still, that’s what the regulator forecast. Now it awaits the 250 or so applications it expects to get over the next 12 months.

Spokeswoman Michelle HynesDawson said Tuesday it will likely take anywhere from two to four months for retailers to get a licence, depending on the complexity of the application.

Hynes-Dawson said AGLC has received a constant stream of calls asking for more information about cannabis sales. When application forms and more information went online last month, even more people got in touch.

There is no cap on retail cannabis licences in Alberta — a fact Hynes-Dawson thinks that might be the biggest misconception out there — but no single person or entity can hold more than 15 per cent of licences in the province.

Over the next few months, AGLC workers will review each application, doing background checks and looking over ownership structures to ensure everything is above board for each retailer.

And just because you’re first to submit your application, doesn’t mean you’ll be first to get a licence.

“Every applicant is different, so it will depend on the complexity, the ownership structure,” HynesDawson said. Each application costs $400 along with a $3,000 due diligence deposit. An annual licensing fee will cost $700.