Getting set

Work to start on cannabis stores next month

The P.E.I. Liquor Control Commission is looking for a company to renovate the buildings that will house its cannabis retail outlets in Summerside and Montague.

The provincial Crown corporation announced its selections for properties in both communities earlier this month.

A tender was issued March 7 for needed renovation work on the properties. It closes March 28.

Work at both sites is to be started no later than April 5 and completed no later than July 24. The federal government is currently processing its cannabis legalization legislation and had originally hoped to have it enacted by early July, however, delays in the Senate have pushed that estimate into an unknown date in August.

The province is also still trying to find homes for planned cannabis stores in Charlottetown and West Prince. No suitable properties were identified during the first request for proposals earlier in the year. A call for proposals is expected for those two areas.

The province has no firm dates set for when it expects to be ready to open any of the four planned cannabis stores in the province.

“In terms of when sites will be ready for owner occupancy and operational readiness, this will likely vary across sites. Our objective continues to be for all sales channels to be fully operational when federal cannabis legislation is passed,” said a statement from the province.