Only one pot shop in St. Albert has received full approval to open on Oct. 17 when the consumption of cannabis becomes legal.
Fire and Flower, located at #40, 19 Bellerose Dr., is one of 17 stores across the province that has been granted an interim cannabis license by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission.
The store will open its doors at 10 a.m. on Oct. 17.
Although Fire and Flower was not available to speak with the Gazette at press time, the company said in a news release that it was looking forward to setting up shop in St. Albert.
“We have all come so far and are excited to share cannabis and its many properties and purposes with Canadians,” Nathan Mison, vice-president of government and stakeholder relations for Fire and Flower, said in the release.
A second retailer has applied for a business licence, but is currently waiting for the OK from the AGLC to sell.
Cory Sinclair, media relations with the city, couldn’t say who the second retailer is, but said getting a sales licence is the last step in the application process before a business licence can be issued by the city.
The interim licence will allow Fire and Flower to carry cannabis on site before Oct. 17 so that the store is ready to sell when the day rolls around. The company has already placed orders for cannabis stock through the AGLC, although the store is still under construction.
Fire and Flower, which is based in Calgary, has two other locations in the province that will be opening on Oct. 17.
The number of approved pot shops is expected to increase after legalization, with the AGLC anticipating to see around 250 retailers by the end of the year.
Locations approved in Alberta:
Daily Blaze, Stony Plain
Green Exchange, Medicine Hat
Nova Cannabis at Southpointe, Fort Saskatchewan
Nova Cannabis at Grove Landing, Spruce Grove
Nova Cannabis at Willow Park, Calgary
Nova Cannabis at Namao, Edmonton
Nova Cannabis at Shoppers South, Edmonton
Cannabis House, Edmonton
420 Premium Market, Calgary
Small Town Buds, Devon
Waldo's 420 Store, Medicine Hat
Numo Cannabis Corp., Edmonton
Fire & Flower Cannabis Inc., Fort Saskatchewan
Fire & Flower Cannabis Inc., St. Albert
Fire & Flower Cannabis Inc., Edmonton
Alternative Greens, Edmonton
Westside Weed, Medicine Hat
