Travis Dolynny/CBC News
London’s first cannabis shop is set to open April 1st at 9 a.m.
Since the lottery system in January that determined which Ontarians would be setting up shop, large fines have been looming for those that are unprepared.
While three of Ontario’s 25 winners are expected to settle in London, only one of them will be opening Monday morning.
Central Cannabis, located at 666 Wonderland Road North, near the Oxford and Wonderland intersection, will open Monday at 9 a.m. Jon Conquergood is the CEO of Corner Cannabis, which owns and operates 14 pot stores in Alberta, says the last couple months have been extremely busy.
Acting as the London store’s consultant during the preparation phase, he says there’s been a lot of back-end set-up to prepare for Monday. “[The work has been] mostly centered around getting all our regulatory approvals in place; both the Operator license for Chris Comrie, and also the Store Authorization license,” Conquergood says. “The last three weeks have been mostly focused on constructing and getting the store ready for opening on Monday at 9 a.m.”
He believes that London’s first store will focus on connecting with the community to ensure a pleasant experience for everyone. He says that Central Cannabis will focus on taking the time, energy, and effort to go out and talk to people.
During the final hours of preparation, Conquergood says they’re excited and ready to open on time. “There’s a few last-minute touch-ups on construction here in the last day before opening,” he says. “After that, we’re just focusing on merchandising the store, getting all our accessories organized, doing some last-minute sales training with the staff, and just making sure everything’s ready to go.”
