Province Authorizes Retail Store Corner Cannabis to Operate in Burlington, AGCO Pre-Opening Inspection to Follow

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has authorized the retail cannabis store Corner Cannabis to operate in Burlington given it passes the next step — a pre-opening inspection by the Province.The AGCO conducts a pre-opening inspection after authorizing stores to operate to ensure the operator is ready to open for business and sell cannabis products to the public in accordance with the Cannabis Licence Act, 2018, its regulations and the Registrar’s Standards for Cannabis Retail Stores.This store is located at 3007 New St. (at Roseland Plaza). Notice of authorization was sent to the City of Burlington on Feb. 7: CornerCannabis-SubmissionConsidered.If it passes its pre-opening inspection, this store would be Burlington's third. Other provincially-authorized cannabis stores that are in operation in our city include: 4031 Fairview St., unit 103, and 1200 Brant St.The City of Burlington is still waiting to hear from the Province on any authorizations for the stores announced in the second lottery round at 1505 Guelph Line and 1025 Plains Rd. E. Please click the link for the statement I released on those two locations.In addition to the Province's criteria for the operation of a cannabis store in Ontario, the City of Burlington and Council approved our own set of guidelines for locations and other considerations regarding cannabis stores for our City. As well, the Large Urban Mayors Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO) passed a resolution, brought forward by a subcommittee that I sit on with three other mayors, with similar guidelines – the subcommittee includes mayors from two jurisdictions that do not allow cannabis stores, and two that do. That LUMCO-approved resolution recommended changes to provincial regulations to give municipalities greater control over locations and proliferation of stores and forwarded to the province.For more information on the City of Burlington and cannabis, please visit our dedicated webpage on the City's website at burlington.ca/cannabis. As well, click this link for some Q-and-A's related to cannabis and our City.MY TAKE:The City of Burlington and I are supportive of this location as it serves as a spot of where we want cannabis stores to exist and it meets our guidelines (such as a minimum 500-metre buffer distance from sensitive-land uses like schools and located along transit routes and near the QEW/Hwy. 403).— Mayor Marianne Meed WardRELATED LINKS:

• Proposed Burlington Cannabis Store on Guelph Line Open for Comments Until Nov. 14
• Q-and-A’s on Legal Cannabis and the City of Burlington
• For more Q-and-A’s about cannabis, visit Burlington.ca/cannabis
• Statement from Burlington Mayor on Potential Cannabis Store Locations in Burlington
• Province Authorizes Retail Store Pioneer Cannabis Co. to Operate in Burlington
• More Cannabis Stores Coming to GTA Region as Province Moves Forward with Next Round Allocations
• Province Authorizes Cannabis Retail Store in Burlington, AGCO pre-opening inspection to follow

--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist.