Cannabis delays are over, says Fedeli

Wait times shrink to 1 to 3 business days, but warehouse query lingers

The wait for weed is getting shorter, says Finance Minister Vic Fedeli.

Ontario’s Cannabis Store has caught up with a backlog of orders to be delivered by Canada Post after the online shop was swamped following the legalization of recreational cannabis last month, prompting hundreds of complaints to the provincial ombudsman’s office.

“We’re back to the schedule today of one to three days,” Fedeli said Monday.

“You open a brand-new business from scratch, there are going to be bumps along the road,” the finance minister added as he came under fire for refusing to release the name of the private company running the cannabis warehouse and whether the contract was put to public tender. Deputy NDP Leader Sara Singh said taxpayers and irate customers are entitled to know the details. “We’ve seen so many issues in a short few weeks … we’ve had mislabelling of products, people not receiving shipments on time, misinformation on the website.”

Fedeli suggested the warehouse deal was signed by the previous Liberal government, leaving Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives little choice. “This was started long before the election so we’ll have more answers on that in the near future,” he told reporters, evading the question on the nature of the contract.

The location of the warehouse is being kept secret for security reasons.

Interim Liberal leader John Fraser said he does not know details of any contract with a warehouse operator signed by former premier Kathleen Wynne’s government.

Green Leader Mike Schreiner said Fedeli should not be shielding the warehouse operator.

“I’m calling on the government to be open and honest with the people of Ontario about this private company that’s failing to deliver and meet expectations.”

Fedeli moved to calm cannabis users concerned they could face shortages again, noting the Ontario Cannabis Store was deluged with 100,000 orders when it opened, more than the orders placed in all other provinces combined.

“I’ve been assured by the Ontario Cannabis Store that we have plenty of supply.”

The government-owned online store is the only legal source of recreational cannabis in Ontario until private stores can open under licence starting April 1. Retail applications will be accepted next month.