The city’s first pot shop is in the final stretch and could be open by early 2020.
Barrie has been without a retail cannabis store since recreational marijuana use was legalized on Oct. 17, 2018.
One Plant is a retail chain that is hoping to open up to five cannabis stores in the province by mid-2020, with Barrie’s Essa Road location pegged as the city's first.
The building, located at 231 Essa Rd., near the intersection of Ardagh Road, is currently undergoing renovations.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has accepted and received the application from local realtor Michael Hassey.
Wednesday was the deadline for submissions to speak out against the site, but AGCO senior advisor Raymond Kahnert told BarrieToday there was little opposition.
“The applicant is required to post a notice for 15 calendar days at the proposed retail store location to indicate that an application has been submitted for a private retail cannabis store at that location,” Kahnert said.
“The placard for 231 Essa Rd., was in place until midnight Nov. 27," he added. "There were four submissions, including one from the City of Barrie. The other resident submissions expressed some concern about cannabis use near that location.”
A City of Barrie official confirmed to BarrieToday that the municipality's submission to the AGCO was to say the proposed site met all of its criteria with regards to location.
Concerns listened to for the proposed site look at protecting public health and safety, protecting youth and restricting their access to cannabis or preventing illicit activities in relation to cannabis.
Back in August, there were 42 applicants selected in the lottery licensing process, including Hassey. Hassey did not win a licence or authority to open a store, but was simply given the opportunity to apply for a licence at the proposed location.
Hassey did not respond to repeated requests for comment from BarrieToday.
Coun. Natalie Harris, whose ward includes the proposed location, says she's excited about the new business.
Harris told BarrieToday that, while she has been in talks with Hassey and his team, she has also engaged with residents on the issue.
“What I’m hearing from the residents of Ward 6 is that it is about time,” she said. “Cannabis has been legalized for over a year and many dispensaries have opened throughout the province.”
The approximately 5,000-square-foot building is near one of the city’s main interchanges for Highway 400, which Harris believes makes the proposed business even more enticing.
“We are a growing city and with our population set to double in the next few years; we deserve to have a cannabis store like many other large cities are getting,” Harris said. “Anyone who has concerns should see the inside of the business once it is completed, as the plans are beautiful and will likely sway the mind of anyone who's opposed to it.”
Barrie may not be the first to get a pot shop in Simcoe County, if all goes according to plan for Louis Laskovski, who also won a licence in the last government lottery to open a store in Collingwood. Laskovski has partnered with Sessions Cannabis as his retailer and is hoping to have the Hurontario Street location open before Christmas.
The Sessions Cannabis Collingwood Store is looking to hire 15 staff including full-time, permanent positions for their 2,500-sq.-ft. store.
The Essa Road shop in Barrie is double that size, though it is currently unknown how many staff would be hired there.
Aleafia Health Inc. and the Serruya family — which is behind the Yogen Früz business — created the One Plant cannabis franchise and hope to have stores open in Toronto, Ajax, Stouffville, Ottawa before the end of 2020.
