Number of cannabis stores in city could spike from 7 to 27
Many Ottawa businesses are shuttered or suffering because of COVID -19, but one sector is about to boom: cannabis stores.
Ottawa now has seven pot shops open and another 20 are awaiting licences.
Storefronts have been identified for new shops across the city, from Stittsville to Orléans, according to a list of applications being processed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).
Seven new stores are proposed for rural areas outside Ottawa, including one at the Tweed marijuana factory in Smiths Falls.
The province had promised to open up the market this spring to allow more privately owned cannabis stores, but the pandemic threw a temporary wrench into those plans. The AGCO put a halt on issuing licences in early April, but that has now been lifted.
Many of the proposed Ottawa stores carry the name of cannabis retail chains.
Three Spiritleaf outlets, for example, are planned — at 1200 Wellington Street West; 2150 Robertson Road in Bells Corners; and Main Street in Stittsville. That brand is owned by a Calgary-based company.
B.C.-based Hobo Cannabis Co. is renovating a store on downtown Bank Street, while a Canna Cabana outlet is proposed for Parent Avenue in the ByWard Market.
Stores called South of Temperance are proposed for Innes Road and Rideau Street. It’s not clear who the owners are, but four stores carrying the same name are proposed for the Greater Toronto Area.
Another name — Highties Canada — pops up on stores planned for St. Joseph Boulevard in Orléans and Wellington St. West in Ottawa.
Cannabis stores already open in the city have had their business disrupted by the pandemic.
In early April, the Ontario government put cannabis stores on the list of non-essential businesses that were ordered to close. A few days later, that decision was reversed. Cannabis stores are now allowed to operate, but only with curbside pickup or home delivery.
At the One Plant store on Strandherd Drive in Barrhaven, keyholder manager Adriana Burke said business has been steady. Customers show identification and pick up their purchases at a table set up outside the store or opt for home delivery.
It’s difficult to tell whether business has picked up since Ottawa residents have been isolating at home, she said. The store only opened on Feb. 14 and was closed for about two weeks in April because of the pandemic-related business disruptions.
One Plant is part of a chain that also plans an outlet on Innes Road in Orléans.
Ontario has been slow to roll out cannabis stores compared to some other provinces. The first wave of stores in Ontario were operated by winners of provincial lotteries.
OTTAWA CANNABIS STORES NOW OPEN
■ Stash & Co, 391 Bank St.
■ Tokyo Smoke, 100 Wellington St. W
■ Superette, 1306 Wellington St. W
■ Hobo, 1642 Merivale Rd.
■ Fire & Flower, 129 York St.
■ Hobo, 121 Clarence St.
■ One Plant Barrhaven, 4335
■ Strandherd Dr.
PROPOSED STORES UNDERGOING PUBLIC CONSULTATION
■ Spiritleaf, 2150 Robertson Rd.
■ Consultation ends May 9
■ One Plant Orleans, 4240 Innes Rd., unit J3. Ends May 12
■ Unplug Cannabis Co., 1375 Trim Rd., unit B1. Ends May 9
STORES BEING PROCESSED FOR LICENCES:
■ Pure Leaf Connoisseur, 2027 Robertson Rd.
■ Stash & Co, 1445 Merivale Rd.
■ The Oz Store, 3022 St. Joseph Blvd., unit B
■ South of Temperance, 3838 Innes Rd., unit D002
■ South of Temperance, 171 Rideau St.
■ Highties Cannabis Store, 2122
St. Joseph Blvd.
Highties Cannabis Store, 1264
■ Wellington St. West
High Flight Cannabis Co., 315A
■ Richmond Rd.
Cannabis Emporium, 243 Bank
■ St.
Spiritleaf, 1200B Wellington St. W
■ Spiritleaf, 1250 Main Street,
■ Stittsville, unit c10
The Good Cannabis Company,
■ 809 Bank St.
Chrontact Cannabis, 2280
■ Carling Ave. suite 1
Hobo Cannabis Supply, 208
■ Bank St.
Canna Cabana, 115 Parent Ave.
■ Canna North Cannabis Store, 141
■ Preston St. unit 1
Canna North Cannabis Store,
■ 800 Hunt Club Rd. unit 3
PROPOSED STORES IN AREAS OUTSIDE OTTAWA:
■ Smiths Falls: Tweed, 1 Hershey Dr.
■ Barry’s Bay: BayBud Cannabis, 48 Bay St.
■ Cornwall: Shinybud Cannabis Co., 410 Montreal Rd.
■ Deep River: Deep River Cannabis, 33155 Highway 17 E
■ Hawkesbury: Shiny Bud Cannabis Co., 299 Main St. E
■ Pembroke: OVCS, 1035 Pembroke St. E
■ Pembroke: Prairie and Luna Cannabis Co., 143 Pembroke St. W, suite 10