Requests to date tip of the iceberg

“Once we get away from the reefer madness, devil-weed idea, and there’s more understanding … people will be amazed at who is using it.”

Fire & Flower, which is moving its headquarters to Edmonton from Toronto, is building a kitchen at its planned Mill Woods outlet so it can offer pot cooking classes when Canada permits marijuana edibles next year, Mison said.

Although the province will operate online sales, he expects most sales will occur at brick-andmortar emporiums. “How often do you buy that nice Shiraz you like online? … The convenience in this sector is where there’s some significant opportunity.”

According to the online AGLC data, other large Alberta chains include 25 Namaste stores proposed by Namaste Natural Health Ltd., which lists its only director as Richmond, B.C. businessman Peter Raju and a head office at a Winnipeg law firm.

A numbered Edmonton company owned by Roger Newton, co-founder of The Canadian Brewhouse, and Brewhouse chief executive Mike Wheeler is behind Plant Life, which hopes to set up at least a dozen stores.

More applications could still need to be vetted before being put up for the mandatory three weeks of public review to give people a chance to file objections.

Under the organization’s licensing process, anyone can object during that time. Valid concerns go to the director of compliance and possibly a board hearing.

Otherwise, staff will spend an estimated two to four months digging into each proposal, doing background checks and inspecting the store site to ensure everything meets board security, storage, safety and other requirements.

Municipalities must provide owners with business licences and development permits before a retail cannabis licence is approved.

The AGLC process isn’t cheap — a $400 application fee, $700 annual licence fee and $3,000 deposit to cover the cost of background checks are required.

Just don’t expect stores to look like they were designed by Cheech and Chong. Signs can’t appeal to kids, show pot being used, identify products, depict a lifestyle, endorsement, person, character or animal, display sporting or cultural events, or promote intoxication with words such as “chronic,” “stoned” or “high.”

Fire & Flower’s 37 applications covered 41,000 pages and needed input from 16 engineers, Mison said.

He thinks successful operations will need to be inviting, inclusive and offer education about the products they offer, but says the current number of licence requests is only the tip of the iceberg.

“In a province that has (more than 1,400) liquor stores, I think there will be substantial growth.”