No Saskatoon pot shop likely to be open on Oct. 17

Retailers say demand for marijuana has outstripped supply, causing delays

SASKATOON Canadians will wake up next Wednesday in a country where recreational marijuana is legal — but people living in Saskatoon can expect to have a difficult time finding somewhere to buy pre-rolled joints and prepackaged bags of weed.

It appears increasingly unlikely that any of the seven cannabis retailers licensed to operate in the city will be up and running on Oct. 17. Two that had unveiled plans for legalization-day opening have since backed away from that deadline.

Cierra Sieben-chuback, whose Living Skies Cannabis shop on Third Avenue South is nearing completion, said she realized late last week that demand for marijuana has outstripped supply to the point where she likely can’t open on time.

Rather than open the store Wednesday and sell what stock she has been able to accumulate, the 23-year-old entrepreneur now plans to open her store “as soon as possible” — probably a few days or a week after legalization.

“I would technically have enough (product) to open up, but I think that I’d sell out in a day or two, and then I’d have to close down. And I feel like that doesn’t represent who I am,” she said Wednesday in an interview.

“I only have one chance to make a first impression in Saskatoon, so I want to make that the best that it possibly can be, and if that means delaying opening, that means delaying opening,” she added.

Geoff Conn, one of three partners behind the Pot Shack on Grovesnor Avenue, has also backed away from plans to open Oct. 17. He said he now expects the store to open its doors “quite shortly after” legalization.

Like Sieben-chuback, Conn blamed supply chain issues for the delay, saying it appears that most cannabis on the market has been earmarked for medical and government distributors with little left for retailers.

“I think it’s the same for everybody,” Conn said, adding that he does not believe any of the other shops in the city will be open Wednesday.

Vancouver-based Aura Cannabis Inc. expects its 20th Street West shop to open its doors at the end of November or in early December, and will spend the next several weeks training staff and working with regulators, company vicepresident Andrew Gordon said.

According to Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority spokesman David Morris, the provincial cannabis regulator has authorized one retailer to receive marijuana shipments ahead of legalization, and is working with “several others to prepare for Oct. 17.

Jumping on the highway next Wednesday might not yield better results: 5buds Cannabis general manager Corey Tyacke said his outfit is building a retail store in Warman, but doesn’t expect to be up and running until the end of November.

Tyacke said the company originally aimed to open on legalization day, but decided to pause to ensure it had the security, staff and supply it needed. He added that he’s not concerned about supply issues come late November.

Warman’s only other retail cannabis store, owned by Westleaf Cannabis Inc., is not expected to open on Second Avenue until midDecember, according to company spokesman Adam Coates.

“Obviously, we would love to be open on (Wednesday) … We want to do things right,” Coates said.

Sieben-chuback said limited supply is also expected to drive up retail prices, likely to $10 or more per gram. She said that is expected to decline once more suppliers come online and begin meeting demand for marijuana.

There are already concerns about whether Saskatchewan has permitted enough retail locations to meet demand, although it remains unclear what effect legalization will have on black-market dispensaries and countless street dealers.

Saskatoon police declined an interview request on the subject. In a prepared statement, police said they are working with the city and SLGA to determine how best to address the unlicensed distribution of cannabis.

Attempts were made to reach all retailers with permits to operate in Saskatoon.