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Ontario Cannabis Retail Operator and Store Authorization Licences (ROL & RSA)
BREAKING: Mississauga City Councillors vote to OPT-IN to cannabis, allowing Ontario cannabis retail store authorizations (RSA) to be approved by the AGCO in the second-largest city in Ontario!
Premier: Doug Ford, CPC
Population: 14.57 million (2019) StatCan
Minimum wage: 14.00 CAD per hour (2018)
Private Retail Stores: Permitted
Cannabis Retail Store Count: 550
Store Regulator: Alcohol Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)
Provincial Wholesaler: Ontario Cannabis Store (Ontario Cannabis Retail Council, OCS)
Licensing Timelines: 6-8 months
Government Application Fees: $10,000
Farm Gate Licences: Permitted, ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Private Store Delivery: PERMITTED DURING COVID-19 EMERGENCY ORDERS/LOCKDOWN
Insurance Requirements: $5 million Commercial General Liability with Product Liability
What you need to know about Ontario’s Cannabis Retail Licence
After a slow rollout of retail licenses during the controversial lottery era, Ontario has shifted to a progressive open market for private cannabis retail. In December 2019, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) ended the lottery system and removed the cap on the number of cannabis retail licenses for the province.
The Ontario open market era, began in two phases: i) on January 6, 2020, applicants could apply for a Retail Operator Licence (ROL), which focuses on the tax, financial, and criminal history of individuals and businesses; ii) on March 2, 2020, applicants could apply for a Retail Store Authorization (RSA), which focuses on the store site, including organizational and physical security plans, and municipality approval.
The AGCO is responsible for issuing cannabis retail store licenses and regulating the activities of licensed operators. Private retailers are only permitted to sell cannabis products and accessories approved by the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), which operates Ontario’s only legal recreational online cannabis store.
Overview of Ontario’s Licensing Process
It is a great time for new businesses and investors to break into the Ontario cannabis retail market, and CannDelta is here to help!
How we can help:
CannDelta will assist Retail Clients with every aspect of starting or expanding their business. Services can include site selection and site suitability to post-licensing support such as Budtender/Manager Training with SMARTtending
- Customized Business Plans for Cannabis Retail
- Logo Design, Website Launch, and Brand Decks
- Complete Retail Store Operator Licence (ROL) Application
- Retail Store Authorization (RSA) Application
- Retail Store Manager Licence (RML) Application
- Site suitability, floor plan review and Secure Storage room construction guidance
- Complete provincially tailored cannabis retail Standard Operating Procedures
- On-going provincial regulatory support
- Security systems layout plan and review
- Recommendations on business best practices, strategy, and marketing
- Record keeping and inventory control guidance
- Operational compliance and process flow
