Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
Mugglehead Magazine
Alternative investment news based in Vancouver, B.C.

Industry update

Delivery allowed for Toronto and Peel region cannabis stores

As part of new lockdown measures going into effect Monday, curbside pickup and delivery will be permitted in affected areas only

Delivery allowed for Toronto and Peel region cannabis stores

Cannabis retailers in the Toronto and Peel regions will have to shut their doors before midnight Monday, when a lockdown to slow a worrying spike in coronavirus cases goes into effect.

However, stores in the affected area will be allowed to resume emergency curbside pickup and delivery services.

The new measures were announced by Ontario Premier Doug Ford in a statement Friday.

“With the numbers rising rapidly in certain regions, we have to make the tough, but necessary decisions now to protect our hospitals, long-term care and retirement homes, and every person in this province,” he said. “We cannot afford a province-wide lockdown, so we are taking preventative action today by moving Toronto and Peel into lockdown level restrictions and other regions into higher levels of restrictions. We need to take decisive action to stop the spread of this deadly virus.”

Following information that leaked to the industry earlier in the day, Ivana Yelich, director of media Relations at the Ontario premier’s office, first confirmed with Mugglehead that both curbside pickup and delivery would be allowed — allaying fears that delivery wouldn’t be.

“Cannabis is permitted by curb-side pick-up,” said Ivana Yelich, director of media Relations at the Ontario premier’s office. “Sorry, and delivery!” she said in an email shortly afterwards. The measures will only apply to retailers in the affected areas.

When Ontario stores were first ordered to close as part of lockdown measures in April, an outcry from businesses led to the province temporarily opening up curbside pickup and delivery service to private retailers. Previously only the Ontario Cannabis Store was allowed delivery.

But on July 23, the province revoked the emergency measures, which led to more outcry and confusion from business owners. The services allowed stores to better compete with the illicit market, for which the delivery business is booming; allowing customers out-of-store options made for safer social distancing; and restricting stores seemed to run contrary to Premier Ford’s promise of an open market.

Read more: Ontario allows weed delivery and pickup to combat illicit market

Read more: Ontario to scrap delivery and curbside pickup amidst ongoing pandemic

This time around, businesses outside the areas affected by the new measures are confused why they shouldn’t also be allowed to provide the services to dampen the spread of Covid.

In a statement late in the day, the AGCO confirmed the changes and said it “will be providing additional information and guidance for cannabis retail store operators later this weekend, before these measures come into effect on Monday.”

Top image via Spirtleaf

 

nick@mugglehead.com

@nick_laba

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Psychedelics

The treatment provider is a joint venture between ATMA Journey Centers and Cena Life

Cannabis

East Coast Tairawhiti cultivars will be grown in Canadian soil

Beverages

Mary Jones will become available in Ontario by the end of the quarter and make its way into the other provinces later

Cannabis

California cannabis company divesting its final cultivation facility