St. Catharines snags one of first cannabis retail licences

A store in St. Catharines hassnagged one of Ontario's first threecannabis retail operator licenses.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario said Thursdayitapproved and issued a license forThe Niagara Herbalist,which would be at33 Lakeshore Road, Unit 15in St. Catharines.

The commission also approved licenses for people to openThe Hunny Pot Cannabis Co. on Queen Street West inToronto, as well as Central Cannabis inLondon, Ont.

The commission said it has not yet issuedauthorizationsfor the stores.That process, which includesinspectionsbyAGCOcomplianceofficials, is still in progressfor all three stores, the AGCO said.

Ontario announcedthe first25 people or companies who couldapply for cannabis retail licences in January.

The Niagara Herbalist was one of sevenpeople orcompanies selected in the west region of the province'srecent retail licence lottery. Another 20 were put on a waiting list.