DOWNTOWN POT RETAILER
Windsor’s first cannabis store opening doors
Parking shouldn’t be a problem for customers eager to check Windsor’s first pot shop set to open in the downtown on Saturday morning.
Most of the neighbouring businesses of J. Supply Co. at 545 Ouellette Ave. have been forced to shut down as part of the war against the spread of the novel coronavirus. But the province added cannabis retail stores to its list of “essential” workplaces that are permitted to remain open during the COVID -19 crisis.
A year and a half after Ottawa first legalized recreational marijuana for adult use, Windsorites finally get their first look at a bricksand-mortar shop specializing in a drug that had been criminalized for generations. Despite the crowded scenes outside previous similar business openings across
Ontario, the Windsor proprietors promise there should be nothing to worry about when their doors open at 10 a.m.
“We have specific COVID-19 protocols in place to protect the community and our staff,” J. Supply’s chief design officer David Craig said in a news release Friday night.
Among the many special measures being put in place on opening day, staff — all of whom will be in protective gear — will be stationed outside and armed with a temperature gun to screen customers for fever, one of the telltale symptoms of the coronavirus.
Staff will also make sure customers are kept a safe distance apart in any line to get in (six feet apart), and Craig said the company “reserves the right to refuse entry to any individual who does not comply with social distancing protocols.”
While still outside on the sidewalk, Craig said customers will be provided with ordering policy postcards and online order instructions to facilitate their stay inside, which will only have a limited number of occupants at any given time. All cannabis and accessories will be under glass and not displayed on shelves to prevent any pathogen transfer from person to person.
All surfaces will be “regularly sanitized,” and no cash is allowed, just debit and credit cards. The store will operate at reduced hours, closing at 6 p.m. on opening day.
After the province recently opened up the application process, a growing number of Windsor pot shop hopefuls are having their applications processed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.