12 new pot store applications filed locally

Kitchener the destination of choice for half of those submissions; unclear if COVID-19 will delay process

WATERLOO REGION — A lot more variety when it comes to buying recreational cannabis could be coming to Waterloo Region.

As of Wednesday, a dozen applications for legal pot shops in this region are currently being evaluated by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

Half the locations are in Kitchener, four are in Cambridge and two are in Waterloo.

There are three legal retail cannabis stores operating in the region — one in each city.

It’s unclear when these new stores will be approved and allowed to open, however, as the provincial government has halted all non-essential construction projects and the AGCO is now conducting some of its inspections virtually.

“This has delayed many new retailers in the preparation of their store,” said AGCO spokesperson Raymond Kahnert in an email to The Record.

Any potential store that is still under construction has seen its application paused until the shutdown is eased.

Stores that had finished construction prior to the shutdown will be allowed to continue working toward a retail store authorization, Kahnert said.

This authorization allows stores to begin ordering pot from the Ontario Cannabis Store.

It’s unclear if any of the dozen potential stores in this region completed construction prior to the shutdown.

Retail locations must pass a final AGCO inspection before they are approved to open.

Kahnert said customers are not permitted inside retail cannabis shops that have already opened, but that curbside and delivery options are still available.

If all 12 additional stores are approved and eventually permitted to open, it would be a major boost for the local recreational cannabis market.

Waterloo Region was initially shut out of the first 25 stores permitted to open by the province last year, and it wasn’t until August 2019 when the province rolled out its second round of lottery applications that a location in this region was selected.

The first retail cannabis store location in Waterloo Region didn’t open until this past February, nearly 18 months after the drug was legalized recreationally.

In December, the provincial government scrapped its controversial lottery system to open up more retail opportunities, and it appears the market is responding — hundreds of new retail applications have been submitted from across the province in recent months.

The three existing shops in Waterloo Region are at 75 Pinebush Rd. in Cambridge, 569 Fairway Rd. in Kitchener and 32 King St. S. in Waterloo.

The new proposed locations are:

Kitchener

1400 Weber St. E. (near Kinzie Avenue)

201 King St. W. (across from Carl Zehr Square)

1283 Victoria St. N. (near Natchez Road) 370 Highland Rd. W., Unit 15B (near Food Basics)

73 King St. W., Suite 101 (near the corner of Ontario Street) 57 Queen St. S. (near the corner of Charles Street East)

Waterloo

71 King St. N., Unit A (across from the former Canada Post office on Bridgeport Road East)

258KingSt.N.,Unit12(just north of the 7-Eleven at University Avenue East)

Cambridge

480 Hespeler Rd., Unit 9/10A (near Value Village)

101 Holiday Inn Dr., Unit B1 (near the Shoppers Drug Mart) 611 Hespeler Rd., Unit 2 (across from Mastermind Toys) 561 Hespeler Rd., Unit 14 (near Burger King)