Pot store expected by next summer

LCBO advises city that Peterborough will have one of the first 40 marijuana stores to open in Ontario

Peterborough will have a marijuana store by next summer, says the city CAO.

Allan Seabrooke said the store will sell marijuana for recreational use. He said it will be open by July – the same month weed is going to be legalized in Canada.

In an email to The Examiner, Seabrooke wrote that the store will be operated by a subsidiary of the LCBO and will sell only cannabis – not alcohol.

The Peterborough cannabis store is expected to be one of the first 40 stores to open in Ontario. The province plans to set up about 150 standalone cannabis stores by 2020.

It was still unclear Friday where exactly the store might be located in Peterborough, although the provincial government has already said none of the stores can be located near schools.

“The province will be working with the city over the next few months to obtain a location for the outlet which will comply with the city zoning requirements,” Seabrooke wrote.

For a short time in September 2016, there was a Cannabis Culture store on George St. in Peterborough.

It was popular, drawing lineups down the sidewalk for the short time it was open. It closed after a raid by Peterborough Police.

In late October, the provincial government announced the first 14 cities selected for cannabis stores. Peterborough wasn’t on the list.

But Seabrooke said officials from the provincial government since have been in touch, and have said Peterborough will be included on an expanded list. It will be formally announced next week, he said.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa told reporters this fall that the public will be notified of the proposed store locations and will be asked to provide feedback online to the LCBO.

Seabrooke said citizens can check online next week at https://lcbocannabisupdates.com/

Although the federal government announced plans to legalize marijuana by July 2018, it left it up to each province to design their own distribution system and regulations.

Ontario is the first province to announce a detailed plan to sell recreational pot. The legal age to buy marijuana in Ontario will be 19.

Smoking marijuana will not be allowed in public spaces or workplaces, even when it’s legal – the province says pot must be consumed in private homes.