Capital of Saskatchewan: Regina
Largest City: Saskatoon
Largest Metro: Saskatoon Metropolitan area
Premier: Scott Moe, Saskatchewan Party
Population: 1.18 Million (estimated) 2021
Minimum wage: 14.00 CAD per hour (2018)
Private Retail Stores: Permitted
Cannabis Retail Store Count: 550
Store Regulator: Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA)
Insurance Requirements: There are no minimum insurance requirements specified at this time.
Provincial Wholesaler: (none)
Licensing Timelines: less than 3 months
Government Application Fees: A non-refundable application fee of $2,000 applies. In addition to the application fee, the permit is subject to an annual permit fee ($3,000 for all wholesale permits and for retail stores located in cities; $1,500 for retail stores located elsewhere). SLGA may also charge applicants on a cost recovery basis for expenses incurred as a result of investigations into individual or corporate backgrounds. The permit may be issued for up to three years.
Farm Gate Licences: Permitted, ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Private Store Delivery: Cannabis can be delivered by the cannabis retailer, a home delivery special use permittee or a common carrier contracted by the retailer. All purchases must be pre-paid from the cannabis retailer and customers will be required to show proof of age at the point of delivery
What you need to know
Saskatchewan has adopted a private retail model that is regulated by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA). The SLGA is responsible for issuing cannabis retail permits and regulating the wholesale and retail of cannabis products by private operators.
After initially setting a cap of 51 stores, the SLGA is progressively moving towards an open market system by removing the cap on the number of licenses available throughout the province. Saskatchewan has an open market system for cannabis retailing.
As of April 2020, the SLGA is now accepting cannabis retail permit applications for communities with less than 2500 residents. In September 2020, all other communities will be allowed to submit applications for permits.
Operators of a licensed retail storefront (bricks-and-mortar store) can sell cannabis online for pick-up and delivery to customers within the province. They are also permitted to sell cannabis products at wholesale to other licensed retailers in Saskatchewan.
Overview of Licensing Process
As there is no provincial wholesaler, licensed producers can sell their cannabis products directly to licensed cannabis retail stores with no provincial excise. Saskatchewan is also the first province to provide a true and unlimited farmgate model and number of licences that can be held by a licensed producer.
Operators of a licensed retail storefront (bricks-and-mortar store) can sell cannabis online for pick-up and delivery to customers within the province. They are also permitted to sell cannabis products at wholesale to other licensed retailers in Saskatchewan.
It is a great time for new businesses and investors to break into the Saskatchewan 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. Other services that we can help with, but not limited to:
- Customized Business Plans for Cannabis Retail
- Logo Design, Website Launch, and Brand Decks
- SLGA Retail Cannabis Store Permit application
- SLGA Cannabis Wholesale Permit application
- Complete provincially tailored cannabis retail Standard Operating Procedures
- On-going provincial regulatory support
- Cannabis retail store and warehouse
- Site-suitability evaluations
- Store layout and fixturing designs
- Store and wholesale physical security design services
- Operational compliance and process flow
- SLGA store inspection preparation
