Cannabis Retail Stores Community Feedback

Thunder Bay City Council passed a resolution on January 14, 2019 allowing for stores, licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), to sell cannabis within the city.

The province has stipulated a buffer-zone of at least 150 metres between a cannabis retail store and a school. The City cannot pass By-laws to create restrictions specific to cannabis retail stores, and cannot limit the number of cannabis retail stores in the city. Separate business licensing regulations for the stores are also not allowed.

Municipalities and community members have a 15 day period if they wish to provide input on proposed store licenses within the city.  Notices will be posted at the proposed store location and on the AGCO website. Municipalities are able to provide additional feedback on distances and consideration for other sensitive uses as part of the public input process. This feedback will be considered in the decision making process for the store licenses. 

The AGCO is responsible for issuing a licence to operate a cannabis store, a licence for a location of a storefront as well as a licence to manage a cannabis retail store. Decisions by the AGCO are final.

You can find more information about applications for a cannabis retail store through the City’s Public Notices page.