41 charges in Toronto crackdown

An unlicensed cannabis dispensary in Kensington Market was shuttered by the city on April 10.

A crackdown on illegal pot shops in Toronto has resulted in 41charges since cannabis was made legal last October and bylaw officers are currently investigating 21suspected illegal cannabis storefronts, the city says.

The most recent raids targeted stores at 932 Bloor St. W. and 66 Fort York Blvd. run by CAFE, a chain of coffee shops that sells cannabis products in the back.

Mark Sraga, the city’s director of investigation services for municipal licensing and standards, said the city seized dry cannabis, oils, edibles and cash from the stores on Tuesday.

The city had also locked up both locations, but discovered that someone had broken into the two stores.

“As long as there’s illegal stores open and operating, we’ll keep on doing this,” Sraga said.

The charges include seven laid since the city’s first legal cannabis store opened on April 1, city spokesperson Lyne Kyle said.

Ontario’s Cannabis Control Act, which came into effect last October, gives bylaw officers enhanced powers to shut down unlicensed pot shops.

Individuals charged under the act can face fines of up to $250,000 and a maximum jail term of two years less a day.

Sraga warned that landlords who rent retail space to illegal dispensaries also risk facing charges or fines.

Corporations can face fines ranging from $25,000 to $1 million. Following a fine, a justice of the peace can also order a property closed for up to two years.

Illegal pot shop operators who are fined also become ineligible to apply for a legal cannabis retail licence.

There are currently 15 charges before the courts and another 26 awaiting a court date.

The city has nine bylaw officers working on cannabis enforcement. They are responsible for conducting investigations, closing and barring entry to locations, conducting seizures and laying charges.

“The law is very clear,” Mayor John Tory said earlier this month. “As of April1, the people who are supposed to be selling marijuana are people who are licensed to do so.”